All Souls' Events - October 2012 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver BC

It's that time of year again - All Souls' at Vancouver's Mountain View Cemetery  is almost here. Some activities and participants are now familiar to many, but new things will be happening too. Mountain View is Vancouver's only cemetery and is just west of Fraser St, between 31st Ave and 43rd Ave., easily accessible.

Plan to attend. Come early to have a good look around this 106 acre civic space, locate a family member's grave, or to take photographs. Then attend one of the evening events. All Souls' is an artist led, family friendly opportunity for quiet reflection and remembrance, and for sharing those experiences too, if you like, no matter where you're from.

Saturday, October 27 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm

Music, warming fires, and fragrant teas comfort the living, and public shrines remember the dead.  Inside the Celebration Hall you will find space and materials to craft your own personal memorials.

Sunday, October 28 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm 

Threshold Choir performance in the Celebration Hall.  The all-women Threshold Choir honours the ancient tradition of singing at the bedsides of people who are struggling, some with living, some with dying.

Tuesday, October 30 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm 

Film screening of the 2006 documentary "Forever" about Pere-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.

Thursday, November 1 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm 

The Orkestar Slivovica Balkan Brass Band performance and procession through the shrines to honour the dead.

Mountain View Cemetery
5455 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC
V5W 2Z3
Phone: 604-325-2646
(entrance at 39th Ave)

Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver - All Souls' Calendar of Events

Women's History Tour - Vancouver's Mountain View Cemetery, Aug. 5, 2012

It's time for another women's history tour at the City of Vancouver's Mountain View Cemetery -  this Sunday, August 5th at 10 am. Meet at the Celebration Hall.

 Grave marker for Robertha (Watt) Marshall, Titanic surviver, Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, BC, Canada

For more details, see the British Columbia Genealogical Society website.

Cemetery Tours Coming Up - Vancouver BC

At Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver, BC, there will be two sets of tours this month. See you there!

First, one on Sunday, June 19th, then another on Sunday, June 26th. Details below.

Join John Atkin (Civic Historian) and Lorraine Irving (BC Genealogical Society) once again on their very popular walking tours. Mill Managers, Union Organisers and Archivists & Piano Salesmen will be discussed, along with lots of other interesting tidbits about the cemetery!

Sunday, June 19th

10am to Noon
$10.00 per person (cash only please)
Rain or shine
No reservations necessary

Meet at 5445 Fraser St at 39th Ave.

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/NONMARKETOPERATIONS/MOUNTAINVIEW/walk%20poster3.pdf


And next,

Crinolines, Crimes and Courage:
Women of Mountain View Cemetery Historical Walking Tour
Sunday, June 26, 2011

1:00pm-3:00pm

A fundraiser for the Friends of the Vancouver City Archives

Minimum donation $10 (cash only). Maximum 25 people * drop-in only

Meet at the southwest corner of 33rd & Fraser St.



What do a Titanic survivor, a murdered nurse and an adventurous Gastown school teacher all have in common? You will discover the answer and more on this 2 hour tour led by three Vancouver women historians. Visit the grave sites and hear stories about the famous and forgotten remarkable women who helped shape our city. Step back in time to unearth fascinating true tales of struggles, conquests and mystery surrounding the lives of this amazing collection of historically important women. The tour also includes how to decipher grave marker symbolisms.


Tour by 3 women historians from the BC Genealogical Society, Women's History Network of BC & the Herstory Cafe.

Lorraine Irving has been giving tours of Mountain View Cemetery for over 10 years. She is the President, B.C. Genealogical Society, B.C. Historical Federation Director, Vancouver Historical Society member, New Westminster Historical Society member and a guide at Irving House, New Westminster Museum.

M. Diane Rogers is the Editor & Past President, British Columbia Genealogical Society and Secretary, Women's History Network of British Columbia. Teacher, speaker, researcher & writer, British Columbian family history and women's history.

Jolene Cumming is a local historical interpreter whose specializes in early Vancouver women’s history and Stanley Park historical walking tours. She is the co-founder and co-coordinator of the Herstory Cafe and a board member of the Friends of the Vancouver Archives. Jolene is a fourth generation Vancouverite.

Cemetery Events Coming Up - Vancouver & Burnaby

Special cemetery events for Women's History Month, All Souls, and Remembrance Day.

24 October, Sunday, 1-2:30 pm: Women's History Tour with 'yours truly', M. Diane Rogers, Ocean View Burial Park in Burnaby. Sponsored by the Burnaby Village Museum. $15. Registration required; please register early - in person, by phone or on-line.

30 October - 2nd November, 6th Annual Night for All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver. See the Mountain View website for activities that day. Free events. Sunday, October 31st, hear the Threshold Choir from 7-8pm; Monday, November 1st see a special showing of "A Family Undertaking - Home Funerals in America" beginning at 7 pm.

7 November, Sunday, 10-1130 am: War Time Graves tour with Maurice Guibord at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burnaby. Sponsored by the Burnaby Village Museum. $15. Registration required: please register early - in person, by phone or on-line.

Graveyard Rabbit Carnival - Occupations and Hobbies

An Occupation Or Hobby Memorialized in Stone - this is the theme of October's Graveyard Rabbit Carnival.

Here's a favourite of mine from Fraser Cemetery in New Westminster, BC, Canada - a loving remembrance.

Kathleen Booth marker, Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada.
Photograph taken by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010. [Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Marker for Booth, Kathleen, Section: IOOF 6-7, Row: 5, Stone: 5.]

Take a look at what's on the one side of the marker though. Whether Kathleen Booth sewed for love or from necessity, we know she was likely never idle.

Kathleen Booth marker, Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada.
Photograph taken by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010. [Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Marker for Booth, Kathleen, Section: IOOF 6-7, Row: 5, Stone: 5.]

The British Columbia Genealogical Society (BCGS) published a CD about Fraser Cemetery in 2010 with photographs, gravestone inscriptions and descriptions. Contact the BCGS for more information: www.bcgs.ca

Graveyard Rabbits - Scavenger Hunt - Fraser Cemetery - New Westminster BC Canada

View of Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Fraser River beyond. Photograph, M. Diane Rogers, June 2009.

The topic for the July 2010 edition of the Graveyard Rabbits Carnival is:
Scavenger Hunt!

For this Carnival, I chose to visit one of the graveyards nearest my home, Fraser Cemetery in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. This cemetery, operated by the city since the 1930s, was in use from about 1869 and, if you're someone who lives in the Lower Mainland here, you will recognize many of the historic family names represented in its burials. Originally there were separate areas, for instance, the Masonic, Oddfellows, Church of England and Veterans' sections. (The separate St. Peter's Roman Catholic Cemetery is right next door.)

I took off for a few hours there and just had a wander by myself - choosing some examples that appealed to me that day, taking photographs and making notes as I went. Although it wasn't the nicest day weatherwise, this cemetery has an amazing view, and it's nice just to enjoy that and the 'atmosphere'. An angry crow did try to keep me away from its territory, 'dive bombing' me until I moved on, but, as you will see, another cemetery habitué was much more friendly. This is a cemetery where people visit graves regularly, and locals walk their dogs, and even their kids, and where the cemetery is small enough that one can see a lot in any visit.

The following photographs illustrate my finds from the Scavenging List we were given: Cross, Heart, Fraternal symbol, Monument, Flower. Hand, Angel, Bird, Tree, Star, Obelisk, Four-legged animal, Photo, Military gravestone, Mausoleum. As you will see, I have taken some liberties with my identifications.

Crosses - CROWCHER graves, (Reverend Charles, 1917, and Gertrude A., 1933), Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Heart - probably for Clara FINDLAY (1919), but this heart marker is very worn. There is at least one similar heart marker from the 1920s, as well as several quite recent ones. The other marker shown here for Richard WOOD (1992). Others buried here are Scott MEREDITH (2000) and Dorothy WOOD (2006). Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Fraternal - Knights of Pythias - symbol 'FCB' for Friendship, Charity and Benevolence - SANDERS marker (1961), Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, Canada. Photograph, M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Monument - This is a very large stone - as tall as I am. Beth Wood was the first woman elected to New Westminster City Council (1949) and the city's first woman Mayor. Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.


Flower - Malvina NORMAN's grave (1931), Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.


Hands - Elsabe RISKE marker (1902, with husband L.W. on other side). Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Angel - a beautiful marble monument for Ella Jane KIRKLAND LYSTER (1875). Married in 1874, she had lived with her husband in Oregon, but suffered from consumption and returned to New Westminster to die. Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Bird - A guardian crow, Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.






Tree - I love this twig lettering on the zinc ARMSTRONG monument (1882, 1884), Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photographs, M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Star - BURR family marker, including Raymond William Stacey Burr (1999), star of Perry Mason and Ironside. Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Obelisk - Memorial to Ebenezer BROWN (died 1883, New Westminster), by his daughter. Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Four legged animal - a black cat - very friendly - and obviously very comfortable visiting in the neighbourhood. Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.


Photo 1 - DE LOS REYES grave, (2007). A free standing easel has a photograph on the front, with a photo and commemorative text on the back. Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Photo 2 - John T. STEIGERVALD grave (1997), Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.

Military - HOSKIN marker, Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010. There are a number of other HOSKIN military markers. Some may be related.





Lastly - Fraser Cemetery has no mausoleums, but does have this very modern new ossuarium (an in ground common 'vault' or receptacle for cremains), along with a new columbarium and wall space for memorial plaques. New Westminster, BC, Canada. Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, June 2010.


This post was written for the Graveyard Rabbits' Scavenger Hunt Blog Carnival.
Thanks to Julie Cahill Tarr, of Chicagoland Cemeteries, who came up with the idea for this Carnival for the Association of Graveyard Rabbits.

The Final Disposition - Mountain View Cemetery Event - April 24, 2010 Vancouver BC

Gravestone of Nellie LAY, died 5 February, 1920. Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, BC, Canada (JONES section /*/24/014/0005). Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, Fall 2009.

THE FINAL DISPOSITION - All Day Event

Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, BC.

April 24, 2010

De-Mystifying Death, Funerals, Cemeteries & Ceremonies

A forum designed to address practical and philosophical matters on dying and death. Discussion begins with hospice care and continues with the role of funeral homes and cemeteries. Alternative options such as green burial and the importance of ritual and ceremony will end the day.

Details at the Mountain View Cemetery website.
Free, but you must pre-register.

This full day event begins with a screening of “A Family Undertaking: Home Funerals in America”, and a session with Romayne Gallagher, Providence Health Care’s Division Head of Palliative Care and the Physician Program Director for Providence's Palliative Care Program.

Then in the afternoon there is a session with Barry Jeske, an independent funeral director and co-owner of Wiebe & Jeske Burial & Cremation Care Providers in Abbotsford, on the 'Funeral Home, the Funeral Director. What do they do?...Can someone “do it themselves” in British Columbia?'.

Then a session with Glen Hodges, Manager of Vancouver's Mountain View Cemetery, on the many roles of a cemetery.

Later, a session with Stephen Olson, Executive Director of Royal Oak Burial Park in Victoria on 'Green Burials and the story behind Canada’s first urban natural burial site in Victoria’s Royal Oak Burial Park.'

Finally Paula Jardine, Mountain View's own Artist in Residence, and Marina Szijarto, a contemporary rites of passage celebrant, artist & designer, discuss various cultural practices honouring the dead and the modern need to understand - and reclaim - the role of the artist in the sacred life of the community.

Free, but space is limited; pre-register.
Details & Registration Information at Mountain View's website.
Saturday, April 24, 2010, 10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Mountain View Cemetery, in the Celebration Hall & Courtyard, 5445 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC. (The Cemetery entrance is at 39th and Fraser.) Easily accessible by public transit.

This event includes tea and cookies, but please bring your own lunch and snacks.

Interesting note: Mountain View Cemetery is currently the only Canadian cemetery recognized by the Green Burial Council which has set the first standards for green burial services and providers and has four levels of certification.

Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver BC is recognized in the 4th level as a 'Hybrid Burial Ground'. "Hybrid Burial Grounds are conventional cemeteries offering the option for burial without the need for a vault (partial, inverted or otherwise), a vault lid, concrete box, slab or partitioned liner. Hybrid Burial Grounds shall not require the embalming of decedents and must allow for any kind of eco-friendly burial containers including shrouds."

For more about green burial in British Columbia, see my previous post on a Mountain View event last fall: Artists and the Green Funeral Movement - Dec 9 2009 .

Gravestone of Mike JURKOVIC, aged 20 (indexed at Mountain View as JURKOVITCH; death certificate indexed as JURHOVITCH), born in Jugoslavija, died 6 February 1935, at Tranquille, BC. Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Section JONES/*/13/002/0011). Also in plot - Phyllis Irene YURKOVICH, buried in 1994 and Robert YURKOVICH, buried in 1992.

Photograph by M. Diane Rogers, Fall 2009. (If anyone is willing and able to translate the inscriptions on this stone for me, please contact me at canadagenealogy@shaw.ca .)