Kevin Holmes funeral

Submitted by Secretary WB Rich Lathrope:

It is strange but sometimes out of tragedy something very special occurs. And it was just so with Br Kevin’s funeral as the brothers of Harmony came together to stage a moving and well organized event. It seems as though it is a long time since we have had to organize a Masonic event for the family and we are indebted to Kirsten Holmes for her kindness in letting us help in this case. The onus of the organization fell upon SW Kurt Schmid who was also Kevin’s close friend.

The first hurdle we faced was coming up with the money to rent the new Masonic center, it costs a lot more than we had anticipated, and this is not to suggest that the rates are out of line with market conditions, however, Kurt was able to organize the full rental within one evening as a result of the generous contributions of Harmony members, and a more general appeal via e-mail continues to demonstrate the generosity of brothers, some of whom we have not heard from or seen in Lodge for a long time. We also received two donations from the OES Chapters in Olympia – this is especially appreciated. We also need to thank WB Damien Kolb, the Brethren of Olympia #1 and the Olympia Masonic Building Association for giving us a break on the rental of the facility.

VWB Brian Morgan performed the Masonic Service with his customary skill and aplomb, assisted by WB Rod Mason, VWB Paul Cooley and Br Kurt Schmid. The food was eventually left to the capable hands of Marge Plue who along with Gen Cooley and Mrs. Saeger put on a wonderful spread along with the shopping of Rachelle Schmid and the cooking of the Lathropes. VWB Bruce York, who has just recovered from shoulder surgery, bravely provided us with his services as a piper. An honor guard and a gun salute were provided by the Special Forces who also provided the capable services of Chaplain Emmitt Furner.