The winged figure of the Angel of Death holds a basin of water, symbolizing eternal life. She stands on the prow of a boat that sails toward the viewer. The cast-bronze figure was commissioned as a memorial to Ruth Anne Dodge, the wife of the railroad builder Grenville M. Dodge. The accompanying landscape design is as impressive as the sculpture itself. Steps lead up to a forecourt defined informally by shrubs. The figure has been placed at one end of the forecourt, with a backdrop of large hardwood trees.