The Wade Chapel: A Story of Art, Spirit, and Family

April 13, 2020

Pass through the stately double gates, and you will see that Lake View Cemetery is a extraordinary place. Inviting paths wind over gently rolling hills, leading past numerous varieties of specimen trees, shrubs and flowers. In spring this lovely tended parkland blossoms into a pastel-colored wonderland while in the colder months, Lake View becomes a glistening winter wonderland, dotted with priceless art and timeless architecture like Wade Chapel.

Jeptha Homer Wade, along with a few other notables, began establishing an overall beautification of Cleveland including the purchase of land to be Lake View Cemetery. Now, it’s our responsibility to continue their work and safeguard their legacy. We must protect what we have been given so that this unique and treasured place endures, flourishes, and serves the generations that follow us.

The Wade family made the Wade Chapel story available through the eyes of one guide, Wayne Bifano. Amazingly, at the 118-year mark since the Chapel’s dedication, this story has never before been compiled in a book. Wayne is a dedicated steward of the Wade Chapel and of Lake View Cemetery and we give Wayne and the Wade family thanks for the endless hours being an ambassador of the Wade Chapel story.

At our sesquicentennial mile marker, the leadership of Lake View Cemetery gives thanks to all those who worked on The Wade Chapel: A Story of Art, Spirit, and Family. Wayne Bifano, Tim Lachina, Holly Whitchey and members of the Wade family produced an anniversary present that will remain as timeless at the cemetery and the vision of Jeptha Homer Wade.