Seattle 206-362-5200 fax: 206-365-0682 Directions • Email Us
Brier 425-483-0555 fax: 425-489-8977 Directions • Email Us
Bothell 425-486-1281 fax: 425-489-1556 Directions • Email Us
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.
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.
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.
David will guide us through the history of the Veterans Memorial Cemetery, as well as teach us about the stories of Private William C. Horton, PFC Lewis Albanese, PFC William Kenzo Nakamura, 2nd LT Robert Ronald Leisy, Coxswain Harry Delmar Fadden, and of course Colonel Orville Emil Bloch.
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.
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.
David will guide us through the history of the Veterans Memorial Cemetery, as well as teach us about the stories of Private William C. Horton, PFC Lewis Albanese, PFC William Kenzo Nakamura, 2nd LT Robert Ronald Leisy, Coxswain Harry Delmar Fadden, and of course Colonel Orville Emil Bloch.
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 Monday May 28th, Evergreen Washelli hosted our Annual Memorial Day Commemorative Service. Thank you to all who joined us in honoring America’s fallen and saluting the flags on our “Avenue of Colors”.
We would also like to thank the family of Walter Gallagher for attending our service and handing out American flags in his memory. Walter was a beloved fixture at our Memorial Day celebrations for almost 60 years, and it was a great honor to have his family in attendance this year.
Please enjoy the photos from our 86th Annual Memorial Day Commemorative Service.
Thank you to Eric Johnson and KOMO News for this moving story. Evergreen Washelli is honored to be the final resting place of over 5,000 veterans in our Veterans Memorial Cemetery, which is featured in this video.
Walter Gallagher, Photo Courtesy of John Lok, The Seattle Times
Navy veteran Walter Gallagher believes in honoring those who fought for his freedom and on Memorial Day he’s done so faithfully — since 1953.
No, says Walter Gallagher, he didn’t personally know any of the men or women whose earthly remains lie beneath some 5,000 white marble tombstones on a peaceful knoll just off Aurora Avenue North.
But he wouldn’t think of spending Memorial Day away from them.
“They served their country,” said Gallagher, 87. “That’s what matters.”
Gallagher walks the trimmed lawn between rows of freshly cleaned headstones at Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Seattle as comfortably as if he’s among old friends. And in a sense, he is.
Since Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House, Gallagher, a Seattle-born Navy veteran, can remember only one time — about 10 years ago, when he was sick in bed with the flu — that he failed to attend the cemetery’s annual Memorial Day observance.
And on Monday, he’ll once more climb behind the wheel of his green ’92 Chevy Caprice wagon (which recently passed 200,000 miles) and drive the 15 minutes from his Wedgwood rental house to the cemetery, making sure he’s there well in advance of the 2 p.m. ceremony.
For years, Gallagher carried an American flag in a parade of colors at the event, with members of his American Legion post. More recently, since he banged his shoulder in a door jamb a few years back, he has turned to handing out small flags to people as they arrive.
Over time, he’s seen sunny Memorial Days, cloudy Memorial Days, breezy Memorial Days and at least one drenching Memorial Day that forced part of the event indoors.
One of his five sons, Garry Gallagher, of Woodinville, often joins him, and said it’s no mystery why his father considers this a solemn obligation.
“He appreciates his freedom,” said Garry Gallagher, 55. “It really boils down to just that.”
A free America isn’t something Walter Gallagher’s generation could take for granted when — five days after his 18th birthday in December 1941 — Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan.
Within weeks, Gallagher enlisted. There was no question about joining the military, he said. “We were under attack. People were signing up faster that they could take them in.”
The only issue was which branch of the service to join, and Gallagher’s choice was influenced by summertime “Fleet Weeks” of his childhood, when Navy vessels welcomed visitors on the Seattle waterfront.
“To me, the Navy looked like clean quarters and good food.”
That’s not exactly what he got. He became a bombardier and gunner in a unit of PBY Catalinas, military floatplanes armed with machine guns and bombs, carrying nine-man crews.
Gallagher flew in numerous South Pacific missions as part of the “Black Cat Squadron,” known for aircraft painted all black. They made their perilous bombing, patrol and reconnaissance missions at night, when their dark color made them difficult for the enemy to see, even with searchlights.
After the war, Gallagher returned to Seattle, where, from 1946 to 1981, he delivered bundles of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to racks, stores and newsstands around town.
These days, Gallagher, who said he has survived two ex-wives, has a simple daily routine that nearly always starts with coffee with regulars at the Little Red Hen near Green Lake and often ends with a drink at the Baranof in Greenwood.
He visits the veterans cemetery, which is part of Evergreen Washelli Cemetery, not just on Memorial Day but usually on Veterans Day and often on Independence Day as well.
“We used to have World War I veterans (at the events) and they’re gone now.” he said. “And us World War II veterans are fading fast … As long as I can drive and walk, I’ll be there.”
Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com
