Natural Boulder Memorial
Finding Peace Through Memorialization
Twenty-two years ago the events of September 11th gave rise to national grief. That day Kim Trudel was among those who lost a loved one. This year I had the honor of assisting Kim in the memorialization of her late husband, Frederick Charles Rimmele III. The memorial sits on a hillside of carefully-placed boulders at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It features an inlaid piece of Monson Black Slate from Maine, the state in which the couple met hiking Mount Katahdin. The slate inlay was acquired at double its necessary size. Half was lovingly hand-carved with Cherished, Fred’s name, and his dates. The other half will eventually be set into Kim's own boulder which sits next to Fred’s.
The week before the slate was set into Fred’s boulder, I asked Kim to gather any feathers she found. The feathers were to symbolize Fred’s passion for birding. Just before the slate was placed, Kim laid the feathers into the recess of the boulder. In a conversation with Kim about a month later, it was clear the process of memorializing Fred had been more than just carving his name in stone. Through the shared, creative journey of designing a monument to remember her husband, I was able to help guide Kim along her own path toward healing.
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With deep gratitude,
Karin Sprague, Stone Carver