♪♪
-This is Calvary Cemetery.
It's a historic resting place
situated on a hillside on the south edge of Ravenna.
(door opens)
And this is Jim Mueller,
our guide for a tour delving deep into Seattle's past
and visiting the graves of some of the city's
most prominent citizens.
(keys clank)
(electric motor whirls)
-Rosellinis. Governor
Rosellinis is up here to the right.
And then this here is Andy Hill.
Andy Hill was a state senator for the state of Washington.
-Jim Mueller's job at Seattle's
Calvary Cemetery requires many skill sets:
tour guide, salesman, chaplain,
and sometimes even comedian.
-And when she called up, she says,
“I want to wish to bury my husband out at Calvary.”
And I asked her,
“Do you want
the Republican section or the Democratic section?”
Since you finally says, “You're kidding me, right?”
I said, “Yes, I'm kidding.”
-Humor may not be the first thing that comes to mind
when a loved one has passed away,
but it's often perfectly appropriate in the work
Jim does at the cemetery in Ravenna that dates to 1889.
-I make sure that everything is in order between the church,
the funeral home and us, and that
there's going to be no surprises when we
the burial takes place here at the cemetery.
-The incredible hillside views from 40 acres of land
in the middle of residential Seattle
are clues that Calvary Cemetery has a long history.
It's been part
of the local Catholic diocese for more than 13 decades.
Jim Mueller has been working here for only 13 years,
but helping families in a difficult
time has become something of a calling.
-You know, with what you're going through, God bless.
Sometimes they have a look of total relief
on their face where, “Oh, my God, it's finally over.”
Other times, you know, there hi’s are hollow.
They have a blank look and something totally unexpected.
You have to have a caring heart to do what I do.
♪♪
It sounds like a cliche,
but Mueller, in his own way, makes Calvary Cemetery,
and the people buried there, come alive,
especially on the golf cart history tours,
which have become something of a specialty for him.
Right here, you'll see
the third marker over is Dave Beck,
and he's buried right next to his son.
And he lived to be 99 years old.
Coming up here, Papasedero was a baseball coach
in the Catholic school system for many, many years.
-Along with figures from sports and politics,
including both of Washington's Catholic governors,
- one a Democrat and one a Republican -
are people recognizable for other, more esoteric reasons.
-Gentleman name Lowell Firnstahl;
he was the little boy on Sunny Jim
peanut butter.
He died in some type athletic accident at age 18.
-Along with the face of local peanut butter,
Calvary is also home to certified heroes.
-Also down this way is Raymond Davis
and Raymond Davis saved 25 shipmates
when the boiler blew up and was awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor.
-Part of Mueller's
job involves interacting with cemetery visitors
like the guy he found once at Governor Rosellini's grave
who had some old bumper stickers.
(electric motor whirls)
-I pulled over there in my golf cart.
“What are you doing?!”
And he goes “I'm cleaning out my dad's garage
and these were from the 1950s.
And I was going to put them on
Governor Rosellini's headstone.”
I said, “You can't do that.
You can't do that.”
-Most of the people interred at Calvary Cemetery
aren't famous
former governors, beloved coaches, or war heroes,
they're just people,
regular people from in and around
Seattle who live their lives
and were loved by their family and friends.
When that time comes for each of us to go, it's
nice to think that somebody
will remember us and share our story
the way Jim Mueller does so beautifully
for so many of those who've gone to their rest
at Calvary Cemetery.
♪♪
Watch CityStream Tuesday nights at seven on the Seattle Channel
or find us anytime online at SeattleChannel.org.