Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home & Memorial Park

Funeral home and cemetery for all

We are conveniently located at 2853 Sunset Point Road, only a few minutes away from the quaint town of Safety Harbor. In addition to Clearwater and Safety Harbor, we also serve families in the Palm Harbor, Dunedin, St. Petersburg and surrounding Pinellas County community. Whatever your background, religion, culture or traditions, Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home and Memorial Park allow you to take care of all your funeral and burial arrangements.

We have experience working with Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Jewish and non-religious families. We also have Spanish-speaking team members and can reach out to translators if needed.

Remodeled funeral home

In August 2017, we completed an extensive funeral home renovation. The new facility is spacious, light filled and versatile. When you walk through the gorgeous doors, a team member will greet you. We are glad to provide a tour of our new event spaces and introduce you to our funeral directors.

Our funeral home offers 2 event spaces, both customizable to your needs. The larger chapel accommodates 200 guests with seating set up to your preference. A beautiful water wall adds to the tranquil setting and can be seen from both inside and outside the funeral home. In front of the chapel, there is a rock wall where you can place mementos that belonged to your loved one.

The chapel also has a large-screen television to share video or photo memories of your loved one, as well as 360-degree projection, which you can use to create an immersive experience during a service. This projection beautifully displays images and videos on either side of the room.

The 2nd event space within our funeral home has a discrete reception room and features an outdoor patio area where guests can gather and share memories during nice weather. We also can assist with arrangements for professional catering and are happy to review these options with you.

Personalized service

We believe that every life is unique and deserves to be celebrated in a unique way. Our professional and caring funeral home team members are dedicated to creating a memorable and meaningful tribute that celebrates your loved one’s passions, personality and individuality. At Sylvan Abbey, we carefully listen to your wants and needs, working with you to paint a picture of possibilities for remembering your loved one.

If your loved one spent his or her winters skiing the slopes, we can turn the event space into a picturesque winter village and make it appear as if it is snowing. If your loved one enjoyed soaking up the sun, we can use our 360-projection to turn the room into a beach vacation. The possibilities are truly endless. With our state-of-the-art technology, we can create an immersive and customized experience that will be remembered and cherished by your loved one’s family and friends forever.

A trusted provider

With more than 150 years of preserving family legacies, Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park and Funeral Home looks forward to serving the Clearwater and Pinellas County community for generations to come. We are a member of the Dignity Memorial® network and invite you to visit our newly renovated funeral home to meet our team and take a tour. Please contact us if you have an immediate need or would like more information about our services.

Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park

Established in 1853, Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park is home to Pinellas County's oldest recorded burial. For more than a century, families in Clearwater have turned to Sylvan Abbey as their final resting place, joining many of the area's pioneering families and city founders. Though rich in history, our memorial park remains vibrant and progressive, offering a variety of options to suit your needs.

As you travel down our long driveway canopied with large oak trees, we hope you feel assured that Sylvan Abbey is truly a special place for honoring and memorializing your loved one.

Well-manicured grounds

Our memorial garden offers plenty of shade and provides a natural habitat for wildlife. Much of our 95-acre cemetery is densely shaded by more than 800 mature live oaks shrouded in Spanish Moss. This picturesque atmosphere is enhanced by flowering magnolia and dogwood trees throughout, 3 beautifully landscaped lakes surrounded by stately oaks and bald cypress trees, and colorful azaleas and roses in bloom each spring. If you look closely, you’ll even find trees sculpted into animal shapes.

A walk through our magnificent grounds reveals structures, landscaped gardens and statues created by some of the world's finest artists and craftsmen. The secluded cemetery is hedged off so it cannot be seen from the highway and offers a peaceful and serene atmosphere within. The highlights of our memorial park are Peacefield Mausoleum, Harbor Side Estates and Wandering Oaks Estates.

Peacefield Mausoleum

For those who prefer above-ground entombment, Peacefield Mausoleum is 1 of the more magnificent buildings in Florida. Situated on 2 acres, Peacefield Mausoleum will eventually encompass 16 mausoleum buildings surrounding 2 landscaped atriums with the beautiful Peacefield Chapel at its center. The first 2 phases have already been completed, providing burial spaces nestled among the 2 atriums and the 2-story, open-air Peacefield Chapel.

Peacefield Mausoleum includes 3 floors of crypts designed in the classic European style. Carved freestanding sarcophagi couch crypts and traditional single, side-by-side and companion crypts meet every family’s unique entombment desire.

Bright and inviting chapel

An open-air chapel lies at the heart of Peacefield Mausoleum, mirrored on each side by 2 handcrafted stained-glass windows—The Glory of Heaven and The Creation—which depict spiritual and natural images. In the chapel itself, the wood and glass cathedral ceiling rises nearly 60 feet and lets in plenty of natural light. Many visitors of our memorial park find that our open-air chapel provides a peaceful and serene setting for reflection. The acoustics of the chapel are outstanding, especially during military honors with a bugle playing.

Harborside Estates

 

Built in 2010, the newest garden at Sylvan Abbey is Harborside Estates. Situated on the banks of our southern lake (the largest lake on the cemetery property), this premier garden features a number of burial and cremation options. Interment options include walk-in private mausoleums or private sites upon which you can build the mausoleum of your choice. We also offer exclusive walled estates, which are constructed by artisan masons and can memorialize 2 or more people. These sites include imported granite monuments and matching benches in many designs and colors. Lush hedged estates are also available.

Our lakefront garden is truly unique and at Sylvan Abbey, we are always looking to the future to ensure that we can continue to serve the Pinellas County community. At 2.5 acres, Harborside Estates has room for expansion. It is currently developed on the east side of the lake, while the west side is undeveloped. The west side of the lake is where we hold many outdoor services, since it offers such a majestic view. Harborside Estates is home to many species of beautiful birds, fauna and flora.

Wandering Oaks Estates

Wandering Oaks Estates is our 2nd premier garden and is nestled on the banks of our smaller northern lake. This garden was built in 2012 and provides some of the more unique and lush options for cremation memorialization. Here your family can build the legacy of your choice. Options include columbaria estates complete with matching benches, traditional cremation benches, hedged burial estates and a community columbarium.

This well-manicured garden is situated on a half acre, with another half acre available for expansion. Artificial turf in our cremation estates ensures that they look manicured all year round. A long winding pathway meanders through the garden, allowing for thought and reflection on your loved one. The lake is home to many cranes and Florida wildlife. This tranquil garden is a lovely final resting place for loved ones.

Special cemetery sections

Our cemetery grounds feature special gardens for certain groups and religions. Many of the pioneers and leaders of the Clearwater and Pinellas County community are buried in our Pioneer Garden. We also have an honor garden for veterans, as well as gardens for Jewish families and children.

History

Established in 1853, Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park has been the final resting spot of Pinellas County families for more than 150 years. As the site of the area’s 1st recorded burial and more than 10,000 interments since, Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park has played an important role in the history of Pinellas County.

Origin of the name Sylvan Abbey

According to local folklore, James P. McMullen—who was an original homesteader of Pinellas County—decided to name the 1st school in the area for the 1st girl who took classes there. Her name was Sylvan Abbey and she was the daughter of the school’s 1st teacher. The school was a log cabin erected from 1853 to 1854 on land south of present-day Sunset Point Road and east of U.S. 19. In 1886, residents of the area organized the Sylvan Abbey Episcopal Church and it was used until approximately 1905. The church, of course, took its name from the school. Over time, the area became known as Sylvan Abbey.

A place for Pinellas County pioneers

Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park is the final resting spot for many of the pioneers and leaders of Clearwater and Pinellas County. Several roads—such as McMullen Booth Road and the Courtney Campbell Causeway—are named for pioneering leaders of Pinellas County. Many of the area’s pioneers and leaders are buried or interred in the cemetery's Pioneer Garden.

 

Growing business

To better serve the Clearwater and surrounding Pinellas County community, we continually upgrade and remodel. In 2010, we completed our premier cemetery garden, Harborside Estates, which is situated on the banks of our southern lake. In 2012, we completed Wandering Oaks Estates, which offers numerous options for cremation memorialization. In August 2017, we remodeled our funeral home to meet the diverse needs of the modern Pinellas County community.

At Sylvan Abbey, we pride ourselves in upholding a tradition of respect, integrity and service excellence. We know how important it is to preserve your family’s legacy, and we are here to serve you for generations to come.