Memorial garden honors Fostoria dentists

When Dr. Steven P. Geroski IV died in 2021, Dr. Thomas Guernsey knew he wanted to do something to honor the memory of his friend, mentor and partner in Fostoria's Tri-County Dental Center. That transitioned into honoring three Fostoria dentists with a memorial garden outside the dental center at 521 Summit St., an area that was presented to family, friends and staff Tuesday with a ceremony that included prayers and was followed by lunch. Individual stones honoring Geroski and Drs. Robert H. Schroeter and Gerald F. Brough, which were lain outside the door to the business last year, have been joined by a sculpture titled "Reflection of Life," created by Fostoria resident Gedion Nyanhongo. "I just wanted to do something to kind of give back, so we all can remember these great individuals," Guernsey told the gathering. Those influenced by the three memorialized dentists include Guernsey himself. "Dr. Brough was my original dentist and my original inspiration for going into dentistry," Guernsey said in an interview. "I spent a lot of time in his chair, starting when I was, probably, 3 years old. As (Brough) was getting ready to retire, Steve came into his practice and I started seeing Dr. Geroski as my dentist. Then I started observing and shadowing Steve as I was getting older and I did my senior project with him in high school. "After I went to school, (Dr.) Derik (Utz, now practicing in Bowling Green) became partners here, at this location, which was originally Dr. Schroeter's office. I knew Dr. Bob and I observed him a little bit. I didn't have as close of a relationship with him as the other two, but he was the original doctor of this practice. "I thought, 'How do a memorialize all of these three doctors who have shaped so many lives and touched so many different people here in town? That's kind of how I came up with my memorial garden." Guernsey felt the garden still lacked something, and he got an idea after hearing Nyanhongo, a sculptor from Zimbabwe who came to the United States in 2007, speak at a Fostoria Rotary Club meeting. Nyanhongo invited Guernsey to his outdoor gallery, located at 103 E. Culbertson St. The doctor, his wife, Holly, and staff members Melanie Dawson and Heather Hille agreed that "Reflection of Life" would be a good addition to the garden. And, at Dawson's suggestion, Nyanhongo added a depiction of a molar at the bottom of the piece. "This is a one-of-a-kind sculpture, all hand-carved," said Nyanhongo, who attended Tuesday's ceremony. "The stone is from Zimbabwe. The stone is called opal stone." He added: "I am so pleased and honored to do that for this family and to contribute something that is very meaningful to the life of the community around here. Having a piece of stone coming from Zimbabwe into America and into Fostoria is something I am really happy about." To arrange to visit Nyanhongo's outdoor gallery, call 480-255-4184.