Guest Blog by Sigrid Cummings

When QUUF was designing its sanctuary expansion, a Memorial Circle and Columbarium was included in the planning.  Before construction began, the congregation realized there would be insufficient funds to include it in the project.  It was moved into what they called “Unfunded Objects of Our Desire” with the goal of pursuing the project at a later time.  The new sanctuary was completed in 2009 and five years later a task force was formed to readdress the columbarium project.  They met for five years, engaged the congregation in discussions, and by 2018 it was determined that, while they were close to their fundraising goal, the final $90,000 was eluding them.  And then, in stepped my husband, Stan Cummings, who brought his fundraising expertise to the table, helped raise the money needed, and on November 10, 2019 the QUUF Memorial Circle and Columbarium was dedicated.

When we were planning the Memorial Circle & Columbarium, we discussed the idea that some people might not believe in cremation but having a place to put some mementos could be important.  I never realized until recently how emotionally valuable that idea would be.

Stan was never keen on having his ashes in a columbarium niche.  He just wanted some of them spread at the family cottage in Maine, which will happen next July.  Cremation and a columbarium niche are my personal preference because I want to have all my arrangements settled and paid for in advance to minimize any burden on my stepdaughters.  Stan came to realize it would be important to me, should he die before I do, to have a place nearby where I could quietly reflect on our life together.  So, we became two of the original 105 people who signed up for a niche or memorial plaque during the sales period prior to construction.  We never discussed what might go in his urn besides some ashes.

On October 31 we had a small gathering with those of us who served on the MC&C committee to place Stan’s urn in his niche.  Some of Stan’s ashes are in there.  But I was surprised to experience the emotional impact I felt when I included some items that represented who Stan was as a man and defining times in his life.

The picture above shows the items I included.  There is a patch from the Boy Scout Jamboree he attended when he was 12 years old.  He was proud of being an Eagle Scout and I included his God and Country pin.  He spent 20 years at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point and was responsible for bringing the brig Pilgrim to the organization and writing living history programs for school children aboard the tall ship.  I included his Pilgrim crew patch.  Stan finalized the fundraising campaign at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, oversaw the construction of the campus and helped develop educational programs for school children.  I included his NWMC pin.  And finally, when I was cleaning out Stan’s desk I found a small box on which his mother had written “Stanie.”  It contained a small lock of his hair.  On November 3 I discovered his QUUF name badge, still in its slot on the wall.  My only regret is that I didn’t find it in time to include in the niche.

I want you all to know that when it comes to a niche, it’s not always about the ashes.  And to remind you that Endowments has created a fund for donations in Stan’s name.  The proceeds will be used to help those members who, upon their death, would like to be remembered in the MC&C with a niche or memorial plaque, but are unable to afford the cost.