They came to remember mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives.

They gathered Sunday under a clump of white oaks at Medford’s Donahue-Frohnmayer Park to honor the memory of departed loved ones and dedicate a new public memorial space.

"Today is just the beginning," said Donna Taylor, director of Winterspring, a Medford organization that helps people cope with grief and loss. "It’s the beginning of what will be a beautiful memorial grove in this park."

Meadowlarks trilled in a pasture beside the oaks as Taylor spoke, and two lazy horses sidled up to the fence hoping for a handout. A soft spring breeze rippled across little blue and orange flags that marked irrigation lines for what will become the Winterspring Memorial Grove.

Winterspring volunteers and the city of Medford will work together over the next 10 years to create a place for quiet contemplation and reflection on 1.5 acres on the park’s northwest corner. The bare ground around the grove of white oaks will gradually become a garden space designed to encourage peaceful reflection, replete with flowering trees, walking paths, landscaped meadows, benches and fountains.

The heart of the memorial grove will be a "wall of remembrance," a wall faced with stones inscribed with the names of loved ones. Seeing a loved one’s name often helps grieving people through their loss, said Elizabeth Bryant, a Winterspring volunteer. She purchased a memorial stone for her mother, Dory Parker, who died eight years ago.

"It’s like the Vietnam (memorial) wall," Bryant said. "It brings it home."

Taylor said people in a mobile society lack some of the traditional outlets for grieving. Visiting a loved one’s grave may be difficult if they’re buried half a continent away, and cremation’s growing popularity has eliminated tombstones and other memorials for some people. The wall will give them an opportunity to create a memorial close to home — a place they can visit at will.

"When people don’t have the opportunity to memorialize a loved one it’s harder for them to move on to a changed life," she said. Putting a loved one’s name on a wall of remembrance may help people understand that a loving relationship doesn’t end when someone dies.

"Part of the grieving process is to recognize that," she said. "Our goal is to support people in grief so they can move into productive, though different lives.

The garden has been organized to be a project that Winterspring will share with the city of Medford. The city provides the park space and maintenance. Winterspring volunteers will provide labor; cash contributions will pay for materials.

Taylor said the entire project will cost about $240,000. The gardens and the wall have been designed to be built in phases that can be completed as money and volunteers are available.

"Each phase will stand alone beautifully," Taylor said, "so people won’t have to wait 10 years to see something nice.

"We believe that the more people learn about the grove, the more excited they’ll be about contributing."

"I’m really excited about the wall of remembrance," said Angel DeShane of Medford, as she caressed a memorial stone for her grandmother, Mary Hicks. "I’m looking forward to having my grandma’s name in a beautiful place where I can honor her.

"This is going to be so awesome when the wall’s up and the trees are in. It’s going to be like a little piece of heaven right here."

For more information about Winterspring and the memorial grove, call 772-2527.

Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail bkettler@mailtribune.com