Alto-Reste Park in Allegheny Township was opened by Robert P. “R.P.” Good in 1925 after he and his wife, Fannie Werking Good, purchased a 33-acre tract of land that was part of the Andrew Kipple farm.

The first burial — of Mary Null — was on July 1, 1925.

R.P. Good had a vision of creating a modern cemetery in a beautiful park-like setting, said Geoff Behrens, Good’s great-grandson, who today is Alto-Reste general manager.

“He hated what early graveyards did to grieving people. He wanted an option for cemeteries, he didn’t like the darkness with what was here. He saw an opportunity to create something different, he wanted to speak in a language of light not darkness. He carefully planned the site of Alto-Reste Park so that the remains of the departed would rest amidst scenes of cultured beauty in harmony with the environments,” Behrens said. “People at the time thought he was crazy, it was in the middle of nowhere.”

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Alto-Reste general manager Geoff Behrens looks at photos of the Good family members who served during World War II.

“From the very first day, the founder, Robert Price Good, wanted the cemetery to be a beautiful place where people could come and remember their loved ones who passed away. He wanted it to be quiet and the grounds to be well-cared for,” said Jim Mock of Plymouth, Minn., one of the current owners. His grandfather, H.B. Mock (R.P. Good’s brother-in-law), was a shareholder from 1928 until his passing. His father, H. Robert Mock, was the superintendent and grounds foreman for more than 40 years.

An additional 145 acres were purchased from the Kipple farm in 1931.

Today, 100 acres are developed and a substantial amount of land is undeveloped, Behrens said.

First of its kind

Alto-Reste Park was the first burial park to include perpetual care, a concept Good wholeheartedly endorsed and helped push into Pennsylvania cemetery law, Behrens said.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Community Mausoleum.

“He wanted to give people natural beauty, not darkness to heal. We are seeing some places that are no longer maintained, perpetual care is now a law in Pennsylvania it wasn’t in 1925,” Behrens said. “You took a portion of the sale of the land and it is put away, we can’t touch the principal. It is designed to protect customers, provide maintenance. We are always able to offer the same kind of beauty. R.P. took a portion of the sale of the ground and put it in a fund so his initial promise that he made would not be broken.”

According to Alto-Reste Park’s first published rulebook, “Alto-Reste Park is a departure from the old cemetery, or graveyard, and its gruesome atmosphere. Everything is planned to present and preserve restful effects, and orderly keeping which is assured by its perpetual care.”

“He promised something different at Alto-Reste, a place that would offer beauty to help the living grieve and a plan to preserve that beauty forever,” Behrens said.

To date, 20,300 have been laid to rest at Alto-Reste Park with 10,000 available spaces.

Behrens said people feel comfortable coming to Alto-Reste Park. Anyone can be buried at the park and after 100 years of service, the grounds still look the same and will stay the same in years to come, according to Behrens.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Community Mausoleum.

He said it’s important for families to make an informed choice about where they lay their loved ones to rest, and he said Alto-Reste offers a place “surrounded by beauty, peace and comfort.”

“Whether cremation or traditional burial, we can serve them,” Behrens said. “My great-grandfather wanted people to have a choice. He wanted the richest to be buried next to the poor and no one would know the difference.”

Behrens looks at his job as a ministry, saying their mission is to guide people through a journey “they don’t want to talk about.”

“I am charged to serve people in difficult times, that is what we do every day. The last thing we want to do is give a grieving person additional burdens,” Behrens said.

Always evolving

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Garden of Honor

Over the years, numerous gardens were added to Alto-Reste and the first mausoleum was built in 1976.

Every garden has a story associated with its feature about Jesus. The flowers, shrubs and trees that are selected to be in the feature garden are meant to add beauty to the experience at the feature while not distracting from the purpose and meaning of the biblical story, Behrens said.

“The Garden of the Empty Tomb,” completed in 2020, has been recognized as the first cremation park in Pennsylvania. The project was Behrens’ idea.

The project, completed by Kerr Landscaping and Maintenance Inc., of Altoona, which received a national award for the project,contains 12 monoliths, which symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel, and columbariums in a 325-foot-long wall where people can be laid to rest. There are 572 spaces in the initial phase on one acre. The foundation is down for the next phase, which will add an additional 300 spaces.

“It is the biggest thing I will ever do here. Our charge is to give people choices. Cremation is more used than ever before, as a burial park if we don’t give customers that option, we become less relevant in what our charge is, the cremation customer wants something different but there is still a need for a final resting place,” Behrens said. “We created something unique and it fits in with the terrain of the ground. We have created a destination where the cremation customer has an option that is different. It is gorgeous and provides every option a cremation customer could want for a final resting place.”

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Garden of the Last Supper

Resilient history

In April, Alto-Reste Park survived an attempt by the Blair County commissioners to take 77 acres of future burial grounds to be used for construction of a new county prison. The commissioners backed away from using eminent domain to acquire the land after Alto-Reste received overwhelming support from the community.

“This was not a debate on whether we needed a new county prison. We’ve been here for 100 years, our promise was to do this for generations to come. The land they wanted to build on would have limited our ability to do that. We are thankful for the community, they showed we have a great relationship. We showed that we care about them and they showed they cared about this. The community support was the difference, it was the right decision for them and the community,” Behrens said. “That was one of the roughest times of my life.”

George Good, grandson of R.P. Good and a board member for more than 50 years, is proud of what his grandfather did. He said R.P. would not be surprised of what Alto-Reste has become.

“I am very proud of what my grandfather set out to do and made it what it is today, it is in the fourth generation of the family,” Good said. “He knew what he was doing when he started it. He saw others without perpetual care and running out of space, (so) he wanted to make sure our cemetery never got like that.”

Alto-Reste Park is a special place, said Harry C. Neel of the Pennsylvania Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.

“Cemeteries don’t usually go away, their longevity is a good thing. The big deal is the families who run and operate the place, preserving memories of the deceased and enjoyment for the living. Alto-Reste is a real nice place and they take care of it well,” Neel said.

Mock said he is pleased and proud of the 100-year milestone.

“There have been a lot of people over the years who worked to help make the cemetery the success it is today. It takes a lot of work to keep the monuments from weathering,” Mock said. “The cemetery has also had high standards regarding headstones and monuments that help keep uniformity throughout the cemetery.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Garden of the Sermon on the Mount

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / The Garden of Prayer

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / The Garden of Prayer

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski /

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski /

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Alto-Reste ParkÕs ÒThe Garden of the Empty Tomb.Ó