About Us
About Cameron Memory Gardens
Cameron Memory Gardens Cemetery is a member of the Poland-Thompson family of companies. Poland-Thompson has been providing funeral services, as well as memorial products and services in Cameron, Missouri for more than a century.
This unique garden-style cemetery was started in 1960 by L.W. Criswell, who purchased 20 acres of this tranquil Missouri countryside, reserving 10 acres for future development. It was a new garden-style cemetery with ground level memorials that allowed for more beautiful landscaping, including an abundance of trees and shrubbery.
The centerpiece was a life-sized marble statue of Christ, rising majestically from a granite setting in the middle of Christus Garden.
The cemetery has an endowed care trust fund to maintain future care, a provision that is rare among local cemeteries.
In 1961, Mr. Criswell sold Cameron Memory Gardens to his trusted manager, Mr. Cleo Castle and his wife Millie. The Castles operated the cemetery successfully for 21 years, then sold it to Mr. Truman Sloan in 1982. Mr. Sloan owned the cemetery for four and half years, then sold it to D.W. Newcomer and Sons.
Shortly after acquiring Cameron Memory Gardens in 1986, the Newcomer family recognized the need for respected local representation. So they requested the help of Jim Thompson and his sons, Kent and Kurt Thompson of Poland-Thompson Funeral Home in Cameron. Poland-Thompson had been serving Cameron and the surrounding area since 1905, so the Thompsons were a natural choice.
It was requested that the Thompsons maintain a local office, sell spaces and markers, and provide other services to the public.
In 1993, D.W. Newcomer and Sons sold Cameron Memory Gardens to David Moore of Moore Monument Co. For several years after that, the Thompsons continued to serve as representatives of the cemetery and handle the day-to-day operations.
In October of 1997, David Moore sold Cameron Memory Gardens to Kent and Kurt Thompson, returning ownership to local Cameron residents. So when you include the Thompsons’ years of personal management, the cemetery has now been under the stewardship of the Thompson family for two decades.
In addition to its beautiful grounds and pristine maintenance, Cameron Memory Gardens is known for maintaining a strong sense of tradition. For over 30 years, Cameron Memory Gardens has been known locally for the Parade of Flags that circle the cemetery drive on Memorial Day. The Parade includes over 90 flags that have been given by the families of veterans to fly for this annual tribute.
Today, the management and staff continue to invite family members to donate the flags of departed veterans, even if they aren’t buried here, as part of our Parade of Flags tribute. It’s a unique way to honor the memory of your heroic veteran for many years to come.
For any questions concerning lots, spaces, flat bronze markers and the location of the gravesites of loved ones, please call Poland Thompson Funeral Home at 816-632-2158.