The library's Reading Garden received a beautiful refresh in November 2024 thanks to the generosity of Stow resident Mary Theresa Hranilovich.
Mary's parents emigrated from Croatia, and Mary was born in 1932, the youngest of their nine children. She became a teacher, and taught for one year at the U.S. Air Force base in Germany, one year at Holy Family in Stow, and then spent the rest of her career at Akron Public Schools. She loved to travel during her summer breaks and visited eight different countries. When she retired, she moved to Stow and visited SMFPL often. She passed away on November 25, 2023.
Rob DeGrand, a talented landscape designer from Suncrest Gardens, brought this vision to life, and Suncrest Gardens donated the pavers used in this project. The refreshed garden is a serene space that can be accessed from inside the library near the Information Desk, directly across from the Quiet Study Zone. The Reading Garden will close for the winter on January 1. It will reopen on March 1, when the new plantings and perennials emerge.
On behalf of our community, we extend our deepest gratitude to Mary Hranilovich's family and Suncrest Gardens for their incredible support in creating this beautiful space for readers, learners, and nature lovers.
If you’d like to support the library and help us continue projects like this, visit smfpl.org/support.