What I love is near at hand,
Always, in earth and air.
- Theodore Roethke
Commemorative Gardens
From her brother's room at the Gene & Irene Wockner Hospice Center, Karen Burger watched the snow fall on the gardens outside. After Bill Bullock died, March 30, 2002, at the age of 42, Karen and her family chose to remember him by purchasing a stone panel in the Alpine Garden at the Hospice Center. The panel provides a tangible memory of their beloved Bill, whose ashes were scattered in Puget Sound. "As the seasons change," Karen says, "it's comforting knowing it's there."
Located on the grounds surrounding the Gene & Irene Wockner Hospice Center, the Commemorative Gardens suggest a wilderness – beds teeming with heather and Spireae, roses galore, a lush pond with water iris and cattail, a birch and ginkgo grove and stately pines – yet paved walkways gently guide visitors through the landscape.
Since 1991, Evergreen Hospice Services has been providing compassionate care for the terminally ill, their families and the community, some of whom regularly visit the gardens for solace and healing. The Rose and Alpine Gardens serve as a lasting tribute to the people whose lives have been touched by the Hospice Center.
Proceeds from the gardens benefit the Evergreen Hospice Services. Bricks and benches are installed biannually, for the Light Up a Life event in December and the Rose Garden Ceremony in July. Panels are installed annually for the Rose Garden Ceremony in July. For further information,to obtain a brochure, or to order a commemorative panel, brick, or bench, please contact Duncan Libby at 425-899-1910, or click one of the links below.
Opportunities for remembrance