Tim Burgman
(1941 - 2019)
Tim was the owner and funeral director of Woodlawn Funeral Home and is the visionary behind the beautiful building and grounds of the cemetery. Tim passed away on April 9, 2019 after being at the helm of Woodlawn Funeral Home. He was part of the 2nd generation of a funeral family and had been a funeral director his entire adult life. Tim had a passion for engineering and built Woodlawn Cemetery from the ground up, starting in 1965 when the cemetery was first dedicated. He designed all of the unique features in the cemetery, such as the star memorial in our veterans' section and the beautiful natural rock waterfall and stream in Deer Creek Cremation Garden. In his spare time, Tim loved working with wood. Tim's love for wood is reflected in the table that he and Jim (from the cemetery crew) designed and built for one of Woodlawn's meeting rooms.
Since the passing of Tim's wife, Ann Burgman, the Burgman family decided to carry on her legacy of community involvement and service by partnering with the Thurston County Council on Aging. Tim Burgman donates 1200 square feet of storage space for the Medical Equipment Bank at the Woodlawn Funeral Home location in Lacey. Items for the bank include wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, beside commodes, canes, crutches, etc.
Our Beginnings
The Burgman family business began in 1935 when Uncle John Kalin opened a Funeral Home on Broadway in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood. His wife, Lucy, a registered nurse, received her embalmer's license in 1937-a true woman pioneer in the field. After 15 years of successfully caring for Seattle's families, Uncle John passed away in 1950. At that time Lucy Kalin and three of her sisters, all professional women ahead of their time, managed the funeral home. The youngest sister, Madge Burgman, a registered nurse and natural business woman, worked alongside her sisters and her son, Tim, who began working there as a teenager.
Madge Burgman, Tim Burgman, Lucy Kalin and Agnes Lilligreen.
Tim Burgman working in the Seattle office where his career began.
Pictured is the original desk used in 1935. It is still used in the grand lobby at Woodlawn Funeral Home.
In 1964 the business was sold to Seattle University. Tim Burgman, along with his mother, Madge, Aunt Lucy and young family, moved to Lacey, WA in 1965, where they opened a new funeral home located on Pacific Avenue.
In 1967, the Burgmans purchased the historic Ruddell Pioneer Cemetery and adjacent property. Development began on the new portion in 1975, and in 1994 construction began on the current building, which was opened in the spring of 2002.
The spacious 24,000 square-foot funeral home is designed in a Northwest open-beam style. The funeral home features large and small chapels, viewing rooms and original stained glass. Two rose windows, inspired by the cathedrals of Europe, are placed prominently in each chapel. Click here to go to Our Facilities page.
The wood logs and lumber were cut from timber on the Burgman family property. Tim Burgman's eldest son, George, was the principal logger.
All specialty notch cutting was completed onsite. Local workers and trades people were employed throughout the building process. The Burgman family prefers to purchase goods and services locally when possible.
A natural rock water fall
This unique water feature includes a rock that was chosen from the Burgman family property in the Bald Hills. The rock weighs approximately 22,000 pounds and stands 9 feet high. It took the cemetery crew 2 days to drill through the rock and create the cascading water effect.
Chandeliers in the lobby and portico were custom-built onsite from old lighting fixtures re-used from a chapel at Ft. Lewis.
The grand lobby is spacious and open to the ceiling, which is 49' 8” at the
apex and is a welcoming gathering place for families.
The front entrance door (12' 8”) was a special request from a very tall friend (6' 8”) of the current owner, Tim Burgman. His friend asked him to make a doorway for his height. So, any giant would feel comfortable walking through the entrance.
Large Chapel
Our large chapel, with a capacity of 200, can accommodate most services. It has a state of the art sound system and video/PowerPoint presentation capability.
As with the chandeliers in the lobby, the lighting in our chapel was repurposed from an old chapel at Fort Lewis.
The stained glass along the exterior wall was custom crafted by a local artisan who lived down the road from Woodlawn Cemetery.
Small Chapel
Our small chapel, with a capacity of 35, is perfect for a small, intimate funeral.
It features a steeple-shaped roof line and offers a small country
church atmosphere.
This chapel is often used for private family viewings.
