Revolution.” I found Bremerton’s own Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier; and the plot dedicated to the Grand Army of the Re-
public and the final resting place of John H. Nibb, Civil War
hero and one the first recipients of the Congressional Medal
of Honor. A plot dedicated to U.S. War Veterans of the Span-
ish American War commemorates veterans of “Cuban, Porto
Rico and the Philippine Island campaigns.”
I found Worshipful Brother William Seymore’s polished and
impressive stone—engraved with the Square and Compass of the
fraternity he’d dedicated his life to. But Brother Gudmundsen?
The fifteen acres were surprisingly easy to cover—and I
pretty much visited every gravesite, without success. Well—
without that particular success. I found the last resting places
of many Masons who have gone before. I found sites commemorating Matildas, Cornelias, and Getrudes—names once
as common as Heather, Kimberly, and Keisha may be today. I
found Woodmen of the World, and I found Leda Nelson, born
September 20, 1838, died September 20, 1902, and little Baby
Hope, October 5, 1904—March 30, 1905, “Jesus’ Little Lamb.”
But still no Brother Gudmundsen—until I ran into City of
Bremerton Parks Department Specialist Chris Smith. After a
brief consultation with the Register, Chris led me to RI 962, Lot
08, North Side and there, just below the Pederson Column, and
an inch from the stone border of another family plot, was a modest stone marker, maybe 18 inches by six inches—much eroded
and defaced by time: 1851___Gudmund ____en ____ 19___.
Brother Gudmundsen had died just days after his 56th
birthday, and was respectfully interred through the friendship
of his brother Masons over one hundred years ago. The acacia
tree was long gone, but the grave marker remains, weathered—
but readable.
As I returned to my car, an epitaph caught my eye, “Love’s
memory lasts forever.” I couldn’t help thinking that forever is
an awfully long time—but that as long as they can take refuge
in stone in sanctuaries such as Ivy Green, thoughts and sentiments survive.
Bro. Michael E. Howard is a member of Bremerton Lodge 117 F&AM
and the Scottish Rite Valley of Bremerton, Orient of Washington. A native
of Seattle, Bro. Howard has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa, the
Caribbean, the South Pacific, China, and Southeast Asia. He recently
retired after 35 years in government public affairs and communications. In
between more extensive jaunts, he enjoys exploring historical sites.
