Memorial Garden and Brick Walkway Planned for Gilly’s House

Gilly’s House, a sober home in Wrentham for young men in recovery from addiction, is planning a memorial garden and is seeking community support and donations. David Gillmeister, who founded Gilly’s house along with his wife Barbara, plans to construct a serenity and memorial garden in back of the sober home. In addition to the brick walkway and garden, there will be a fountain pond, a koi pond with a waterfall, and benches.
Gillmeister is looking for donations of plants, shrubs, wheelbarrows, garden tools, mulch, fertilizer, and other materials. He also needs volunteers to help spread sand and mulch, plant the flowers, and lay the bricks.
On April 15, Gillmeister plans to clear the area with a backhoe, prep and level the brick area, and dig the two ponds. On May 1, he will begin accepting plant donations for the perennial garden. On Memorial Day weekend, the garden will be planted and the walkway started with the help of volunteers.
Christopher Currier, from Norfolk Boy Scout Troop 80, will assist Gillmeister for his Eagle Scout project.
Two size bricks are for sale: 8x4 ($50) and 8x8 ($100). The smaller size brick has room for 3 lines of 18 characters each, while the larger brick has 6 lines of 18 characters each. The inscriptions will be in all capital letters.
Bricks can be purchased to memorialize anyone, regardless of how they passed, said Gillmeister. In fact, Gilly’s House has been contacted by people looking to purchase a brick in memory of grandparents or other loved ones who lived there when it was the Sheldonville Nursing Home.
“We’d like to sell 200 memorial bricks, but we’d be happy with 100 or 150,” said Gillmeister. “There’s really no limit and we can expand the area if it turns out we have more bricks.”
Gilly’s House sits on two acres, and has a vegetable garden for the residents, as well as a kitchen herb garden outside the back door. In the future, the Gillmeisters hope to put in a butterfly and hummingbird garden, too.
Gilly’s House was established last year as a non-profit facility in memory of Steven “Gilly” Gillmeister. The home has room for about 20 young men on the road to recovery from addiction. Brick sales will go to the Gilly’s House scholarship fund, which helps offset program fees.
“The gardens will be open to the public,” said Gillmeister. “Come and visit, see the bricks, sit on the benches and listen to the sound of the waterfall. Gilly’s House is open for tours, too. We like people to visit us.”
To purchase a brick, visit www.gillyshouse.com or contact Maureen Cappuccino, house administrator, by emailing [email protected] or calling 508-384-2251 ex 201. Contact David Gillmeister at [email protected] if you can help with the labor or to make a donation for the gardens.