Feel free to drop by our Seattle location for your complimentary bookmark – Our way of helping you celebrate mom this Mothers day.
I’ll Celebrate Instead of Cry
by Kelly Roper
Another Mother’s Day is here, And I still miss having you near. You were the best mom you could be, And I never once doubted your love for me.
I could spend each Mother’s Day in sorrow, Crying and wishing you were here, But instead I choose to celebrate your life, A life I still hold so dear.
I know you’d rather see me smile Than stand here with tears in my eyes. So I’ll do my best to honor your memory, And you’ll live on as long as I am alive.
On May 25th, 2013 there will be volunteers helping to prepare Abbey View Memorial Park Cemetery (Brier, WA) for Memorial Day coming up. Members from The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints will be helping to hand wash and prepare the markers in time for the Memorial Day Celebration. A big thank you to this group who are choosing to do this as one of their service projects!
The Purple Heart Medal is a United States military decoration awarded by the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving with the U.S. military. Being presented with this medal is a way to honor these military members with their courageous acts in the name of their country. This medal is something to be proud of, and wear with honor. That being said, one might wonder why anyone would part with their medal if they were to receive one? That is one of the many thoughts and questions that occurred in our minds when a Purple Heart Medal was left on Washelli’s very own “Doughboy” statue, which stands tall in front of the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery at Evergreen-Washelli.
The “Doughboy” statue was given as a gift to the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery at Washelli, as a dedication to all that have served. The “Doughboy” depicts a young soldier as “just returning from a victory- with a grim smile on his face”. The statue holds the cremated remains of veterans and their spouses. Needless to say, this is a treasured and loved statue to many, especially veterans because of what the statue represents; those who have made it home from service, and those who did not have the chance to return.
When the Purple Heart Medal was left upon the foot of the “Doughboy” statue anonymously, it was clear that it was left in a manner of respect for the Veterans and those who currently serve in the military. Although this was understood, we are still left one to ponder what the thought process might have been behind leaving this medal here, and why it was left anonymously? Perhaps the person who left the medal had previously earned it in the line of duty, and was ready to share it with others. Perhaps the medal had been passed down to them, and they thought that it should be with those who deserved it- such as the fallen soldiers in our Veterans Cemetery. Maybe there are cremated remains of someone in the statue who the person believed deserved the medal. Maybe the person left the medal anonymously because they simply wanted to honor the veterans as a whole? The mind is truly left to wonder, what the true meaning behind this gesture was, because there could be so many possibilities and explanations.
Although it might never be possible for us to fully understand this gesture without knowing who left this medal, we can say that this medal is something that we will treasure and display in our Funeral Home for time to come. There have been anonymous items left in the past that Evergreen-Washelli has speculated as to what the significance is, and what it means to the individual who left it. Because there are so many stories and people, it is an interesting and fun thought thinking you will truly never know what you could find.
On Monday, May 13th, 2013, 100 Alaska Airlines workers and families will be helping to prepare the graves for the upcoming Memorial day event. They will be helping to hand wash and prepare the 5,000 veterans’ headstones in time for the Memorial Day Celebration. A big thank you to Alaska Airlines who are choosing to do this as one of their HR events- helping make this day even more special.
This is a closed event, but if you would like to find out more information about this event and what you can do to help please contact Brenda Spicer at Bspicer@washelli.com.
For many Americans, Memorial Day is not just a day for getting together with family and friends. It is a day to celebrate a life lived, a time to decorate the grave with fresh flowers, but even more importantly, to clean and maintain the grave marker.
For tips on how to clean your granite marker or monument click here
At 7:00 AM the morning of Memorial Day, there will be a Flag Placement at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Each of the 5000 white marble upright markers in our Veterans Section will receive a flag placed by hundreds of volunteers that will come out for this event. Veterans, Scout groups, neighbors, Veterans, churches, local organizations and families, to name a few, will be among those who place the flags.
This is a Public event, and we would love for you to join us. If you have any questions please feel free to call Brenda Spicer at 206-362-5200, or email us at Veterans@washelli.com
This Ceremony is a way to remember and honor those who have served and are currently serving.
This is news coverage from King 5 News, on our Flag placement Ceremony the previous year.
To Learn more about of Veterans Section, click here.
Monday September 8th, 2013 is National Grandparents Day. It is the 34rd Anniversary since President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation creating a National Grandparents Day in 1978. At the time, Carter said the holiday would recognize “the importance and worth of the 17 million grandparents in our nation.”
The official flower of the United States National Grandparents Day is the Forget-Me-Not, which blooms in the spring. In honor of this, Evergreen Washelli is offering free Forget-Me-Not seed packets on Sunday September 8th. Please visit our main office any time between 9am and 5pm on Sunday, September 8th to receive a seed packet and plant some beautiful flowers in honor of your grandparents. After all, as President Carter wrote, “Grandparents are our continuing tie to the near-past, to the events and beliefs and experiences that so strongly affect our lives and the world around us.”
On Monday May 27th, 2013, Evergreen Washelli will host our Annual Memorial Day Commemorative Service. Please join us as we honor America’s fallen and salute the flags on our “Avenue of Colors”.
In the morning, at 7:00 AM, there will be a Flag Placement at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Each of the 5000 white marble upright markers in the Veterans Section will receive a flag placed by hundreds of volunteers that will come out for this event. Veterans, scout groups, churches, local organizations and families will place the flags.
The 1:30 p.m. concert will feature marches, patriotic selections and other music provided by the Seattle Pacific University Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Drum Corps. The Service of Remembrance begins at 2:00 p.m.
Following the Memorial Day Commemorative Service, we invite you to attend a guided tour of the Veterans Memorial Cemetery and learn about the remarkable lives of the Medal of Honor recipients in our care.
Our guide this year will be David Bloch, son of the Medal of Honor recipient Orville Emil Bloch. We are extremely honored and excited to have him as our tour guide.
Kindly meet us at the Doughboy Statue in the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 3:15 pm. We ask for a $5.00 suggested donation for attendance, which will go to the purchase of flags for the Avenue of Flags. For more information, and to reserve a spot, please call us at (206)362-5200 or email tours@washelli.com.
On Sunday May 12th 2013, the NROTC University of Washington will be placing more than 1,500 roses from the “Ten Grands” concert at gravesites at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park. The roses are a gift from The Seattle Symphony and “Ten Grands” Seattle. They will first be used on stage at the 6th annual “Ten Grands” concert at Benaroya Hall the previous evening.
Individual roses will be placed at the gravesites honoring veterans during a brief ceremony starting at 10 a.m. and will take approximately one hour to complete. The public is invited to observe this notable event. The event will take place at the Doughboy statue in the Evergreen Washelli Veterans Cemetery.
“Ten Grands” presented by RBC Wealth Management is a benefit for The Seattle Symphony, a concert whose proceeds will enable the funding of several music programs, supporting targeted groups where music would make a positive difference in the lives of many children. On May 11th, 2013, the “Ten Grands” concert will be held at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, beginning at 7pm. The “something for everyone” concert includes classical, jazz, blues, gospel, boogie woogie, pop, and contemporary music (including some original compositions). The musicians will play simultaneously, as soloists, in duets, quartets and other combinations. Tickets for this worthy cause are available at the Benaroya Hall Ticket Office.
Evergreen Washelli thanks The Seattle Symphony for their generous donation of the roses and supports their efforts in funding music education programs and activities.
David Bloch at Washelli’s Medal of Honor Ceremony July 2011
Following the Memorial Day Commemorative Service on May 27, 2013, we invite you to attend a guided tour of the Veterans Memorial Cemetery and learn about the remarkable lives of the Medal of Honor recipients in our care.
Our guide this year will be David Bloch, son of the Medal of Honor recipient Orville Emil Bloch. We are extremely honored and excited to have him as our tour guide.
Kindly meet us at the Doughboy Statue in the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 3:15 pm. We ask for a $5.00 suggested donation for attendance, which will go to the purchase of flags for the Avenue of Flags. For more information, and to reserve a spot, please call us at (206)362-5200 or email tours@washelli.com.
