Who We Are
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Staff
Denise Martinez
Administrative Assistant
Denise was born and raised in Northern Kentucky. Her family lived in a large house situated on 12 acres of mostly wooded property. When she wasn’t in school or working for the family’s small businesses, she enjoyed hiking through the woods and experiencing the quiet and peaceful gifts nature had to offer. She was also in charge of tending the large family garden.
After graduating with a degree in computer technology and business, she worked for many years as a contractor teaching computer classes. In 2002, Denise began working as the church administrator for Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church. Throughout her 19 years of service, Denise guided the business of the church in making great technological advancements. She retired in 2021.
While working for the church, Denise was introduced to Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary at the time of its inception in 2020. She is grateful for the opportunity to work for the area’s first natural burial reserve.
Denise currently lives in Anderson Township with her husband Ken. She enjoys cooking, gardening, puzzles of all sorts and especially spending time with her son, Jarrett and daughter, Marisa.
Lindsay McCarty
Cemetery Director
Before joining Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary, Lindsay McCarty studied fine art and worked as a preparator in art museums. In 2024, she received her MA in Studio Arts from West Virginia University. Fascinated by the transformation of energy, rebirth, and mutualism, Lindsay was drawn to the modern green burial movement and learned everything she could about natural burial practices. Her thesis, Return to Soil, explored these themes through both writing and sculptural basketry.
Lindsay joined Heritage Acres as a volunteer in 2023. She then served as a groundskeeper, advanced to the role of Sanctuary Assistant, and now serves as the Cemetery Director. In this role, Lindsay channels her energy into furthering the organization’s commitment to natural burial and conservation through public engagement. She is dedicated to supporting people through end-of-life care and guides the community with spirit, compassion, and reverence for the earth.
Patrick Sanders
Sanctuary Steward
Patrick cultivated a love for the outdoors from a young age, preferring to play in the woods instead of on the computer. While studying at The Ohio State University, he joined the Mountaineering Club and developed a love for outdoor recreation. He became the Safety Coordinator of the club, and led rock climbing, caving, and backpacking trips across the United States. After graduating with a degree in Ecological Engineering, he chose to pursue his dream to live internationally, and moved to Aotearoa, New Zealand. While there, he obtained his Permaculture Design Certificate and worked in the field of conservation.
During the COVID pandemic, Patrick returned home to Cincinnati and worked as the first (part-time) Land Steward at Heritage Acres. Eventually, Patrick’s adventurous spirit led him to move away again. This time, he was called to Maui, Hawai’i, to dive deeper into living in harmony with the land through sustainable agriculture. After that chapter, he moved to Southeast Asia and worked across various countries as a freelance outdoor educator for youth. After several years living abroad, Patrick returned to Cincinnati to become the full-time Sanctuary Steward at Heritage Acres. He knows firsthand the tangible positive impact humans can have when they commit to preserving the delicate balance of the ecosystem in which they are inherently intertwined.
Board of Trustees
Donelle Dreese
President
Donelle is a writer and Professor of English at Northern Kentucky University where she teaches indigenous and environmental literatures, American women poets, and a green burial course for the Honors College. She is the author of several poetry collections including Sophrosyne (2014), Organelle (2021), and a collaborative poetry collection titled Delight Is a Field (2025). Her essays on green burial, grief, healing, and ecological stewardship appear in her Psychology Today column, “The Green Goodbye: On Being Death Positive.” In addition, Donelle serves as the photographer for Heritage Acres and is the editor of the quarterly Heritage Acres Newsletter. She hopes her lens and language help honor the land, the people who return to it, and their loved ones. Her devotion to natural burial grows from a belief that our deepest healing begins when we remember ourselves as part of the earth’s own story, when we work to restore the deep biological and spiritual bonds we have with nature and to one another. As a writer and educator, Donelle’s work is driven by the guiding principle that education is the mechanism that reshapes how we see the world, what we value, and what we believe is possible.
Donna Buckley
Vice-President
Donna Buckley is retired from a 40-year career in clinical research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She not only enjoyed the science but is also skilled in education and training. She is now devoting her time and energy to her passions of family and the environment. It is very important to her to leave her children and grandchildren with a healthy planet, a thriving natural environment and a good example of stewardship. She loves to travel, explore, and learn about the natural landscapes of diverse places.
Donna has been involved with Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary since its inception and is honored to serve on the Board. She was involved in finding our property and is continually inspired by its natural beauty. Donna enjoys giving tours, educating people about green burial and Heritage Acres, and assisting with burials. She feels blessed to be a member of the Founders Circle and an active volunteer at Heritage Acres.
Tom Bosarge
Tom first learned about Heritage Acres and green burial after his brother, Miklos, passed away in April 2021. Miklos was the first body burial at Heritage Acres, and Tom was deeply moved by the experience, expressing admiration for the volunteers he met and quickly embracing the purpose and philosophy of Heritage Acres.
It had been 16 years since Tom left a management career in technology in order to be able to spend more time outdoors, doing work that would feed his soul while improving the natural habitat in his community. In that time, Tom worked for his township’s Parks department, helped the Ohio Department of Natural Resources develop an Emerald Ash Borer plan for his community, and became both a Certified Arborist and an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist. He has been instrumental in planting over 300 trees in the parks and community, enjoys speaking at local elementary schools about the importance of respecting and caring for the environment, and is excited to be part of Heritage Acres’ environmental stewardship mission. Having recently retired, Tom enjoys traveling, reading and watching his six grandchildren grow up.
David Spinney
After more than 40 years in local government management, David retired in early 2020. Throughout his career he sought to guide decisions that worked with the natural environment, not in spite of it.
He earned his Masters in Planning at Virginia Tech focusing on flood plain management policy. Early in his career he developed a deep interest in improving water quality and working in coastal zone management in Florida. Upon moving to Ohio, David served as Milford City Manager and then Clermont County Administrator where he was instrumental in developing a water quality assessment program for the East Fork of the Little Miami River.
David first became interested in green burial when his dad died, and he realized that his dad’s wish to be buried under a Tamarack tree to nourish that tree could not be achieved with a conventional burial. David’s current focus is working with nature on the 40 acres that is Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary.
Jeff Syroney
Founders
Thank you to our Heritage Acres Founders Circle!
- Antoinette and Richard Asimus
- Bob and Connie Booth
- Maureen Boylan
- Forrest Brandt and Kathy Wade
- Donna and Mark Buckley
- Frank Collins and Louise Lawarre
- Gretchen and Rowley Elliston
- Peg Fay-Feder and Sam Feder
- Bill Gupton and Jennifer Sanders
- Ann and Hank Jarboe
- Bob and Ellie Lamb
- Joann Meyer
- John Murley
- Shannon Murley
- Julia Sandman
- Tracy Jo Small
- Joan and Mark Stoffregen
- Les and Steph Tacy
Contact Us
Are you interested in learning more about Heritage Acres? Would you like to get involved? Do you have suggestions or feedback for us? We’d love to hear from you.
Sanctuary Address:
796 Locust Corner Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45245
Mailing Address:
Phone: (513) 231-6438
