The weekend of October 4, 2008, family and friends of Laurnell Bremner had a ceremony
in her honor at the Mills and Mills Memorial Gardens in Tumwater WA after a headstone
purchased by her children was placed over her burial site. Afterward there was a party
in her honor on Steamboat Island Road.
On Friday, October 3, 2008, Doug Bremner and family (Viola Vaccarino and Dylan Bremner)
arrived in Olympia and toured the old Fishtrap house at 8900 Libbey Rd in Olympia.
Viola was pleased to see sheep in the back yard and a nice orchard
and garden since she feels that she was a sheep in a previous life.
The Japanese footbridge has fallen into disrepair
On Saturday October 4, 2008, Laurnell Bremner's four children, Steve, Lynn, Anne and Doug, as well as
grandchildren including Dylan and Natalie Bremner and Madeline Dickerson, and spouses Mike Dickerson (Lynn)
and Viola Vaccarino (Doug), assembled at the Mills and Mills Memorial Garden on Littlerock Rd in Tumwater
WA to attend while a memorial headstone which her children had purchased for her was put in place over the
site where her ashes had been buried in the Fountain Urn Garden II.
The Thunderbird was crossing the sky the day before and during the placement of the stone, bringin with it bursts of
rain and intermittent wind gusts, and thunder and lightning early in the morning before the ceremony.
The stone was placed by Lynn Dickerson, Doug and Dylan Bremner, and the superintendent of grounds at
Mills and Mills, who then placed earth around the stone. Doug then read something he had written in France
the week before in honor of their mom.
September 25, 2008
St Paul de Vence, France
Dear Mom,
As I write this I am sitting outside my room at Le Mas D’Artigny in the Cote D’Azur in France,
I say this because I am sure you would have liked this place, you would have liked France, bon
vivant, good living, and I would have liked to have the chance to visit it with you. And I think
you would have been proud that my accomplishments have taken me to places like France, and England,
and many other places. I think you would have been proud of me and my siblings and our children, what
we have seen and done and experienced. There are many things I wish you would have seen and done with
us. I wish you had seen my graduations, my wedding, gotten to know my wife (I know you would have
liked her), and saw my children being born and growing up. I wish you could have lived to learn who
your biological family was, for good or bad, and so I found out who they were for you, since I know
that you would have done that yourself had you lived. I wish you could have seen what happened to me,
and to my brother and sisters, and their children, and your biological and adoptive families, and so I
made a photo composite for you, sort of a composite of all the things you would have seen and experienced
and the family who loves you. It is amazing how many things came out of your life, and how many people still
remember you with such fondness. I also brought a copy of the memorial service; you had such an amazing
impact on so many people. But there is one part of that service that I disagree with. That your passing
should sit lightly on those you left behind. That is not dealing squarely with the truth, and I don’t
think you would have wanted anything else but the truth. Your passing had a tremendous impact on your
children and many others, for many years, up until the present. There is not a day that goes by that I
do not think of you. In many ways I feel that you were calling me to come find you, and so that is why
we are here today, because you are not forgotten, and never will be. We are here today because we love
you, and we will carry you in our hearts every day of our lives. We have felt grief for you; may you also
give us some of your joie de vivre, and to our children, and their children’s children.
Your loving son,
Doug
Dylan Bremner held a photo montage made by Doug that included pictures
of Laurnell in her youth with her sister Vinnie and her adoptive parents, her youth and years with her children
and pictures of her grandchildren. This picture was left at the site for her to see the many people whom
she was responsible for bringing into the world, in the first and second generations.
Following this everyone admired the flowers and chatted in the rain for a while.
Dylan Bremner picked some evergreen branches from a cedar tree and placed them on the stone.
Everyone then went to 9621 Steamboat Island Rd. for a party, where they were joined by Vinnie Hammond,
Laurnell's adoptive sister, and friends of the Bremner children and Laurnell including John Giovane, son
of Sally Giovane-Kerr, Dave Phillips and his wife, and Rick and Rachel Lee. The day after the ceremony
the sun emerged over the site at Steamboat Island Road. Many people emailed their condolences including
Denise Ehrlich, grand-daughter of Edward Joseph Ehrlich, Laurnell's biological father, Marc and Jean Turnbow
and her friend Pat Holm who was also a member of the old Unitarian Fellowship of Olympia (UFO!).
Dylan Bremner, Madeline Dickerson, Natalie Bremner, Anne Bremner, at Mills and Mills Funeral Home in Tumwater WA
Flowers at the burial site provided by Laurnell Bremner's four children: gladiolas (remembrance), (bouvardia and statice?), birds of paradise (memories of paradise)
Roses (love), sunflowers and lisianthus (pure thoughts)
Roses (love), sunflowers and lisianthus (pure thoughts)
Roses (love), sunflowers and lisianthus (pure thoughts)
Doug Bremner
Doug Bremner and Lynn Dickerson
Doug Bremner and Lynn Dickerson
Madeline Dickerson
Madeline Dickerson
Steve and Natalie Bremner
Steve and Natalie Bremner
Steve and Natalie Bremner
Doug Bremner
Dylan Bremner picked some cedar branches which he put on his grandmother's headstone.
Dylan, Doug, Lynn, and Anne Bremner and Vinnie Cooper Hammond
Dylan, Doug, Lynn, Anne Bremner and Vinnie Cooper Hammond
Dylan, Doug, Lynn, Anne Bremner and Vinnie Cooper Hammond
Dylan Bremner
Lynn Bremner Dickerson
Lynn Bremner Dickerson
Madeline Dickerson
Mike Dickerson
Laurnell Bremner
Natalie Bremner
Natalie Bremner
Steve Bremner
Steve Bremner
Vinnie Cooper Hammond
After the ceremony we went back to 9621 Steamboat Island Road where we had a party
in her honor. It rained intermittently and was very windy at times but by
the next day the sun came out. These are views from the house and movies
of our walk on Steamboat Island Road down to Carlyon Beach and Steamboat Island.
