Evergreen Washelli proudly hosted our Third Annual Black History Remembrance Event on Sunday February 28th, 2010 at the Evergreen Washelli Chapel in Seattle. A special Ecumenical inter-faith ceremony was conducted where guests had the opportunity to light candles and present floral offerings to their beloved departed.
Special Guest Speakers: Lois Price Spratlen, PhD, FAAN Professor of Psychosocial Nursing, University of Washington and Thaddeus H. Spratlen, PhD, Professor of Marketing Emeritus, University of Washington.
We feel that this is an appropriate time to inform the many new members and remind the older ones of our Moose Memorial Plot in Washelli Cemetery.
In pride of what we have accomplished let us go back a few year. In the early days of the Lodge, seeing that every Moose Member received a fitting burial in decency and dignity was an individual challenge handled by the Secretary under the press of the occasion.
…During the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and ‘Depression Thirties’, nearly one hundred members were provided dignified burial by the Lodge. In the late 1940′s our property in Washelli was used up and in negotiations with the Washelli – Evergreen Cemetery Company a large area immediately adjacent to our original plot was set aside for the exclusive use of our members. Thanks again to Walt Leckey and Brother Bill Valentine.
Today our Moose Memorial Plot is readily identified by a large and tastefully designed Rock of Ages granite memorial. It is located in the center and highest point of Washelli Cemetery.”
A cenotaph is a tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάϕιον (kenos, one meaning being “empty”, and taphos, “tomb”). Although the vast majority of cenotaphs are erected in honour of individuals, many of the best-known cenotaphs are instead dedicated to the memories of groups of individuals, such as the war dead of one country or empire.
The bronze seagull sculpture which is featured in La Gaviota pool in Evergreen-Washelli was designed and cast by Dudley Pratt. It was on a special commission and dedicated to the memory of Potter Harley, the younger son of Laura and Clinton Harley, following his death in 1931 at the age of 17. “La Gaviota”, Spanish for Seagull, was the name of the sailboat which Potter skippered from her launching in 1928. His sister, Tensie Harley, skippered the boat the racing season of 1931 in the Puget Sound and Canadian Racing Competition.
La Gaviota courtesy of flickr/xine
[From, "Remembrances - La Gaviota Pool by Hortense Harley," Oral History document 1631/10. Hortense Harley was daughter of Clinton S. Harley, General Manager of Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park, 1930-1930.]
Over the past sixty years, cremation has become an increasingly popular alternative to interment. The Evergreen Washelli Crematory has been doing cremations since the early 1920s. We continue to grow in our industry, while maintaining the standards that have made us the experts in the industry; over time we have seen many new cremation providers come and go.
There are several factors that should be considered when selecting a cremation provider: Who is your trust being given to? Do they contract out or outsource your trust to other companies to do the cremation? How many people and how many times is your loved one transported prior to cremation? Are they properly identifying your loved one? Are you certain the cremated remains returned are your loved ones?
These are important issues. In the Seattle area many cremation providers do not own or operate their own crematory. Many cremation providers are never in possession of your loved one, nor are they able to identify them. Often, the initial removal of the deceased, refrigeration facility, and the cremation process will all be contracted out to third party vendors. They typically will not allow public access, nor will they show photos of their facility. Many cremation providers are newly founded and have not established any type of reputation, good or bad. We encourage families to visit and meet the staff in whom you are placing your trust.
Today, advertisements would lead you to believe the price of cremation is the only difference between cremation providers. We are suggesting there is a greater difference— peace of mind.
Evergreen Washelli is the best value in Seattle. The family receives that peace of mind knowing that from the time their loved one is entrusted to us, their family member never leaves our care. We own and operate our own crematory located on our Aurora property, and have for more than fifty years. We control all of the procedures and processes, from start to finish. We do not cremate for any outside organizations. All cremations are individually performed, and our crematory is available to be inspected or toured at a moment’s notice. It is important that families are confident that the cremated remains we are returning to them are indeed those of their loved ones. At Evergreen Washelli, you will know in whom you are placing your trust, where your loved one will travel, and if the crematory is adequately maintained. We encourage you to gather the necessary information in order to make an informed decision. Feel free to contact us with questions or to learn more about cremation at (206)362-5200 or visit us on our website.
Evergreen Washelli is proud to offer a hybrid green burial or cremation packages. With the increase awareness of the environment and our impact on it, we have created earth-friendly options. The green burial package includes a handcrafted Seagrass casket which features convenient handles for carrying, along with a natural cotton lining, pillow, and shroud; our eco-friendly cremation package includes a handcrafted willow branch casket, handcrafted biodegradable Savannah urn.
Also included in the earth-friendly package is a memorial / funeral service in our chapel, forget-me-not seed packets, plantable programs, and an online, paperless guestbook.
“When Evergreen Cemetery Co. of Seattle made plans to develop the wooded glen north of the present office as an area where memorials flush to the lawn could be placed over [cremated] remains, a reflecting pool was planned.
Phillip Graves was our sales director. One of his sons, an employee named Morris Graves, had an amazing awareness of the beauty in the wilderness. He offered to take a truck into the Cascades to find boulders for the landscaping. He also took the responsibility of placing them in their natural setting in the new acquisition on the western slope.
Morry later became one of the Puget Sound’s outstanding artists. (Incidentally, he gifted to Tensie Harley two of his earliest oil paintings, on her seventeenth birthday, of their “common revolutionary ancestors” which were enclosed in the wooden frames he had made by hand for her.)
The Memory Glen illuminated fountain was chosen by Laura Collins Potter Harley and Tensie Harley at the San Francisco World Fair on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay in 1939, and shipped to Seattle.”
[From, "Remembrances - Memory Glen by Hortense Harley" Oral History document 1651. Hortense Harley was daughter of Clinton S. Harley, General Manager of Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park, 1930-1930.]
Evergreen Washelli provides remembrance documentaries to family members who wish to cherish their loved one’s memory with a professionally produced mini-movie on DVD. These memorials can be prepared for presentation during a service in our chapels, as well as enjoyed at home as a keepsake for your family. Each remembrance documentary takes you on a photographic journey honoring their life, while accompanied by beautiful music. Video tributes allow us to create a video that helps the family share special moments, recall fond memories and celebrate the life of their loved one. The video tribute becomes a treasured keepsake for the family to share with generations to come.
The sequence of photos, paintings, drawings, and poems that your family provides will create a loving story in a style that best expresses your loved one’s life, whether it be sentimental, patriotic, or lyrical. Images of your memories are animated with motion and transitions similar to that of biographical documentaries seen on television. Your professional life story is set to a musical score that reflects the life of your loved one. Video tributes also include custom labeling and packaging. With our expert pairing of sound and images, we will create a presentation that will not only move you and your family, but be remembered forever.
