Columbarium
104 YEARS
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Teton Valley News - May 16, 2013 - Page B1
B1 teton valley news - May 16, 2013
Valle y
Columbarium consecrated at St. Francis of the Tetons in Alta Ken Levy TVN Staff
A
new columbarium was consecrated at St. Francis of the Tetons Episcopal Church in Alta May 12. Bishop Brian Thom, head of the Episcopal Church in Idaho, conducted the Eucharist service and consecrated the columbarium, making it a sacred final resting place. The columbarium “is a place for the respectful storage of cinerary urns (i.e. urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains),” said Lisa Wagener, senior warden, in the church’s newsletter. “The term comes from the Latin columba (dove) and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons called a dovecote.” The columbarium was the second in a three-phase project spanning eight years, she said. The family of Bob Meier, a founding member and deacon of the church, wanted his ashes to remain in the valley. With a contribution from the Meier family and other members of the church, the project moved forward. The first phase was a memorial garden, which offers an option for interment and a contemplative place with a view of the Tetons. The third and final phase of the project is to create a labyrinth and a separate garden for burial of pets. This phase will be completed when funding is available, Wagener said. Philbin Schulz and Jennifer Zung led the committee and coordinated the project with the church. Zung, of Harmony Design, “has been incredible,” said Schulz. Philbin, a well-known Valley artist, said she did some sketches of the idea of the memorial garden
and columbarium. She wanted something that had an old look, rather than some of the more formal and “stiff” designs she’d seen. Zung made contractor plans based on Schulz’ concepts and took over the reins of the project, doing outreach and grant writing and “making it all happen financially,” Schulz said. The stone structure features a stained glass door made by Skip Dempsey and slots on the inside where the ashes, in urns, of interred people will be stored. “We wanted it to look like an ancient building,” said Dempsey. The roughly 300-pound door is made of one-quarter-inch thick tempered glass designed by Schulz and built by Dempsey and Nancy Vinnola, and is “four times bigger than anything I’ve done before,” he said. Schulz said the 4-by-8-foot door feature more than 800 pieces of glass.
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agener said “the columbarium holds niches made of golden oak shelves where the cinerary urns will be placed. A lovely, stained glass window of the Tetons (also made by Skip) graces the back wall of the building. Behind the columbarium is a solar panel for the lighting in the building, in keeping with our ‘green’ mission of the church.” Schulz did the rough plaster interior and glazing, and did faux tiles around the windows fashioned after a 14th Century Assisi edifice. “It looks very old,” Schulz said. “We wanted it to feel like it’s been there a long time.” Dana McKenzie Masonry did the stonework, and Mike Manley did the hand-rubbed golden oak. Jim Schulz of Grand Teton Floor and Window Covering did the slate floor.
The 300-pound columbarium door is made of one-quarter-inch thick tempered glass. The stained-glass work was designed by Philbin Schulz and built by Skip Dempsey with help from his mentor Nancy Vinnola of the Glass Garden in Idaho Falls. Bob Hanson of Majestic Mountain Iron did the ironwork for the door frame and hinges.
Bishop Brian Thom, center, consecrated the Columbarium at St. Francis of the Tetons in Alta May 12. Joining him, from left, Spencer Parisee, Acolyte; Lisa Wagener, senior warden of the church; Skip Dempsey, who did the stainedglass work on the door and back window; Philbin Schulz, who did sketches of the concept and did tile work and other interior work, and Jennifer Zung, of Harmony Design, who created contractor plans from Philbin’s concept and coordinated much of the fundraising.
Details inside the columbarium include shelves designed to hold the urns of the deceased, the stained glass window done by Skip Dempsey and tilework done by Philbin Schulz.
I n
T e ton
Teton Valley News - May 16, 2013 - Page B1
B1 teton valley news - May 16, 2013
Valle y
Columbarium consecrated at St. Francis of the Tetons in Alta Ken Levy TVN Staff
A
new columbarium was consecrated at St. Francis of the Tetons Episcopal Church in Alta May 12. Bishop Brian Thom, head of the Episcopal Church in Idaho, conducted the Eucharist service and consecrated the columbarium, making it a sacred final resting place. The columbarium “is a place for the respectful storage of cinerary urns (i.e. urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains),” said Lisa Wagener, senior warden, in the church’s newsletter. “The term comes from the Latin columba (dove) and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons called a dovecote.” The columbarium was the second in a three-phase project spanning eight years, she said. The family of Bob Meier, a founding member and deacon of the church, wanted his ashes to remain in the valley. With a contribution from the Meier family and other members of the church, the project moved forward. The first phase was a memorial garden, which offers an option for interment and a contemplative place with a view of the Tetons. The third and final phase of the project is to create a labyrinth and a separate garden for burial of pets. This phase will be completed when funding is available, Wagener said. Philbin Schulz and Jennifer Zung led the committee and coordinated the project with the church. Zung, of Harmony Design, “has been incredible,” said Schulz. Philbin, a well-known Valley artist, said she did some sketches of the idea of the memorial garden
and columbarium. She wanted something that had an old look, rather than some of the more formal and “stiff” designs she’d seen. Zung made contractor plans based on Schulz’ concepts and took over the reins of the project, doing outreach and grant writing and “making it all happen financially,” Schulz said. The stone structure features a stained glass door made by Skip Dempsey and slots on the inside where the ashes, in urns, of interred people will be stored. “We wanted it to look like an ancient building,” said Dempsey. The roughly 300-pound door is made of one-quarter-inch thick tempered glass designed by Schulz and built by Dempsey and Nancy Vinnola, and is “four times bigger than anything I’ve done before,” he said. Schulz said the 4-by-8-foot door feature more than 800 pieces of glass.
W
agener said “the columbarium holds niches made of golden oak shelves where the cinerary urns will be placed. A lovely, stained glass window of the Tetons (also made by Skip) graces the back wall of the building. Behind the columbarium is a solar panel for the lighting in the building, in keeping with our ‘green’ mission of the church.” Schulz did the rough plaster interior and glazing, and did faux tiles around the windows fashioned after a 14th Century Assisi edifice. “It looks very old,” Schulz said. “We wanted it to feel like it’s been there a long time.” Dana McKenzie Masonry did the stonework, and Mike Manley did the hand-rubbed golden oak. Jim Schulz of Grand Teton Floor and Window Covering did the slate floor.
The 300-pound columbarium door is made of one-quarter-inch thick tempered glass. The stained-glass work was designed by Philbin Schulz and built by Skip Dempsey with help from his mentor Nancy Vinnola of the Glass Garden in Idaho Falls. Bob Hanson of Majestic Mountain Iron did the ironwork for the door frame and hinges.
Bishop Brian Thom, center, consecrated the Columbarium at St. Francis of the Tetons in Alta May 12. Joining him, from left, Spencer Parisee, Acolyte; Lisa Wagener, senior warden of the church; Skip Dempsey, who did the stainedglass work on the door and back window; Philbin Schulz, who did sketches of the concept and did tile work and other interior work, and Jennifer Zung, of Harmony Design, who created contractor plans from Philbin’s concept and coordinated much of the fundraising.
Details inside the columbarium include shelves designed to hold the urns of the deceased, the stained glass window done by Skip Dempsey and tilework done by Philbin Schulz.
