This week on our In Sync show, we sat down with Mollie Verdier. Mollie and her husband, Nathan, have started Morgan’s Place.
Morgan’s Place is a non-profit birth-loss cemetery located in Shelby County.
The idea came about after Mollie and Nathan lost a child, in the womb, in 2018. The grieving couple found the experience extremely difficult, not just emotionally.
It was a challenge for them just to get their child’s remains from the hospital as it is not standard practice at hospitals for children under 20 weeks gestation to be released to parents for burial. The Verdiers had to request special permission for this, which they were able to receive through the advocacy of their doctor. Legislation since 2018 has made this easier for parents.
After another experience in 2019 where Mollie lost one of her triplets in the womb, the family decided to dedicate 2.5 acres of their family farm to bury their lost babies and to assist other families who experience a similar loss.
At Morgan’s Place, children who die before birth, or within a very short time afterward, would be buried at no charge to the family. At regular cemeteries, plots can range from $500 to $1000 and some (but not all) funeral homes charge for their services. They have partnered with several local Funeral homes in the area to assist with cremation and burials at no charge. The only cost at Morgan’s place would be for a burial marker (generally $100 to $150) which hopefully can be covered through generous donations.
Most of the initial 4,160 plots will be the final resting place of children lost to miscarriage or stillbirth, but Morgan’s Place will likely also be a place of respectful burial for aborted children as long as abortion remains legal. It is not yet clear what percentage of the plots will be used for this purpose. Much depends on current legislation introduced by the Ohio Senate (SB 27), which would require the abortion industry to arrange for respectful burial or cremation of the aborted remains, regardless of how intact they are. Of course, ideally, they would like to see abortion become illegal, but in the meantime, there is an effort to show dignity to these lost children.
Morgan’s Place will be more than a cemetery. They will offer other services at no cost. Those services include being a liaison to the funeral home, funeral planning, holding a service at Saint Philomena’s Chapel, grave marker design and placement, grief support, and post-abortion healing.
The family has all the necessary paperwork and permits to operate Morgan’s Place.
Morgan’s Place is located at 1254 St. Rt. 589, Sidney. It’s only about 10 minutes from Logan County’s border.
Morgan’s Place is set to open in October and will be available to anyone who needs their help.
If you are interested in donating to Morgan’s Place you can attend a fundraiser coming up Saturday, October 29, at the Winner Harvest Barn on State Route 47 (located outside of DeGraff). Dinner begins at 6:00 with the band Soul’d Out starting at 7:00. A quilt auction will follow the band. Tickets are $25.
To learn more about Morgan’s Place visit their website at morgansplacecemetery.org
