The Windy Knoll Memorial Sanctuary journey began when Rev. Bill Gupton came to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington (UUCL) to talk about green burial as he was beginning the green cemetery in Cincinnati, Heritage Acres. Jennifer Crossen and her mother attended his workshop and were both sure of the rightness of doing the best for our planet as their last act.

They owned their own farm, so when Jennifer’s mother died, they used green burial guidelines to bury her on the farm. Not long after, Jennifer Crossen’s beloved wife passed away, and according to her wishes, was laid to rest in the same way. As hard as it was to lose them, at least Jennifer knew their last wishes could be carried out. Friends and family helped with both burials and it made them so much richer.

Not long after, a friend from UUCL, who knew about the Crossen family burials, said he wanted the same for himself and his wife. They did some research and found there was no green cemetery in Kentucky, so Jennifer Crossen donated part of her farm to UUCL to become the Windy Knoll Memorial Sanctuary. Members of UUCL and friends formed a board of trustees and began to establish Windy Knoll Memorial Sanctuary as Kentucky’s first natural burial or “green” cemetery.