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WOODLAWN CEMETERY
SYRACUSE, NY · EIN 150496700 · Form 990 · FY2025 · Medium ($1M-$10M) · woodlawnsyracuse.org
revenue
$4.5M
expenses
$2.2M
net assets
$40.1M
employees
10
volunteers
10
mission · from form 990

TO PROVIDE INTERMENT AND CREMATION SERVICES FOR THE COMMUNITY.

profile · synthesized from sources

Woodlawn Cemetery, established in 1881 in Syracuse, NY, provides interment, cremation, and memorialization services for the Central New York community. As a not-for-profit cemetery, it offers in-ground burial, mausoleum entombment, and cremation options, emphasizing pre-planning and permanent memorialization. The organization maintains beautiful, well-kept grounds and a permanent maintenance fund to ensure long-term care of burial sites.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Permanent Maintenance Fund
Trust fund ensuring long-term care and preservation of cemetery grounds, structures, and landscapes for future generations
Pre-Planning Services
Guidance and arrangements for individuals to plan their burial, cremation, and memorialization in advance, including cost-locking and payment plans
The Cremation Center at Woodlawn
State-of-the-art facility offering cremation services and memorialization options, including glass-front niches and chapel services for families choosing cremation
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Cemetery and Cremation Services 6 activities
    • Commemorating lives and preserving local history
      Commemorates lives and records deaths as part of its cemetery services. Creates permanent memorials that serve as sources of comfort for the living and maintains a perpetual record of individuals, contributing to the preservation of local history.
    • Maintaining cemetery grounds and perpetual care
      Continuously maintains roads, plants trees, and cares for older sections of the cemetery to preserve the grounds. Provides permanent maintenance for burial sites as part of all burial rite purchases, ensuring lasting care and dignity.
    • Offering pre-planning and pre-purchase services for final arrangements
      Provides pre-planning services that allow individuals to make decisions about burial and memorialization in advance, reducing uncertainty for families. Offers pre-purchase of internment rights and service fees to lock in current prices, with interest-free payment plans available for burial, mausoleum, and cremation services.
    • Providing above-ground entombment and mausoleum services
      Operates three mausoleums—Garden of Peace, Eternal Light, and Sunset Mausoleum Complex—offering outdoor granite crypts and indoor glass-front niches. Expanded the Eternal Light Mausoleum by adding 244 new crypts to meet demand for pre-planned arrangements.
    • Providing burial and interment services
      Offers traditional in-ground burial options and maintains landscaped burial lots with trees and shrubs to create a garden-like atmosphere. Operates designated sections including Memorial Park with flush markers only and the Green Garden with uniform monuments and a gazebo. Provides private burial areas for families, including options for custom memorials and private mausoleums.
    • Providing cremation services and memorialization options
      Operates a state-of-the-art, 7,300 square-foot on-site cremation center that provides cremation services with dignity and respect. The center includes a chapel for viewings and memorial services. Offers multiple memorialization options for cremated remains, including glass-front niches, traditional niches, in-ground burial, and mausoleum interment.
  • Memorial and Veteran Honor Services 1 activity
    • Hosting public education and community events
      Hosted the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit on August 8, 2021, to educate the public about honoring veterans and fallen service members.
  • Cemetery Records and Genealogical Research 1 activity
    • Managing burial records and genealogy requests
      Maintains private and confidential burial records and provides online access to search by first and last name to find birth and death dates of interred individuals. Fulfills genealogy requests as time permits.
  • Cemetery Operations and Public Access 1 activity
    • Providing public access and visitation services
      Operates daily from sunrise to sunset and maintains a park-like cemetery space for visitation and remembrance. Encourages public use for recreation and reflection, offering a sanctuary of peace and quiet for families to visit, reflect, and maintain intergenerational connections.
financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$4.53M
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$2.13M47%
Investment income$2.38M52%
Other revenue$25K
expenses
Total expenses$2.18M
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$604K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$41.35M
Cash$1.94M
Investments$26.86M
Liabilities$1.24M
Net assets$40.11M
Liquid reserves158.4 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +23.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

board members · 10
  • DR GARY SCHOPFER — DIRECTOR
  • ERIC W WILL II — PRESIDENT
  • ERIC W WILL III — DIRECTOR
  • FRANK ALOI — DIRECTOR
  • HONORABLE ANTHONY F ALOI — TREASURER
  • JENNA MACLACHLEN — DIRECTOR
  • JOHN MORELAND — DIRECTOR
  • JOHN SINDONI — SECRETARY
  • JOSEPH D FALCONE — VICE PRESIDENT
  • LOUIS CENTOLELLA JR — DIRECTOR
relationships · 4

Who they work with

  • New York State Department of State, Division of Cemeteries Government — Directs consumers to this agency for cemetery regulations and disclosure forms as required by state law.
  • Woodlawn Cemetery Partner — Operates as the entity providing memorialization services and permanent remembrance options for families.
  • Wreaths Across America Partner — Hosted the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit to promote remembrance and education about veterans.
  • findagrave.com Partner — Not affiliated with findagrave.com; notes that locations listed on the site may not be accurate.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Adaptive Memorialization Aligned with Cultural Values
    methodology: cultural_adaptation
    By evolving burial and memorial options—especially around cremation and natural aesthetics—the organization remains relevant to changing cultural beliefs about death, because responsive offerings increase community engagement and personal resonance.
  • Advance Planning to Reduce Family Burden and Honor Wishes
    methodology: advance_planning
    By enabling individuals to pre-plan and pre-pay for burial or memorial arrangements, the organization reduces emotional and logistical stress on families during grief, because clarity of wishes leads to smoother decision-making and greater peace of mind.
  • Permanent Memorialization for Intergenerational Remembrance
    methodology: permanent_memorialization
    By providing a permanent, visitable memorial space—whether through burial or cremation—the organization sustains family connections across generations, because ongoing visitation and reflection reinforce legacy and collective memory.
  • Perpetual Care and Durable Design for Long-Term Dignity
    methodology: perpetual_care
    By constructing burial sites with durable materials and including permanent maintenance in service offerings, the organization ensures long-term preservation and dignity of sacred spaces, because ongoing care and resilient infrastructure sustain visitability and respect over time.