A City Turned Out to Bury George Heilbron

Yesterday afternoon the funeral services over the remains of George H. Heilbron were held at the First Unitarian Church at 2 o’clock, in the presence of an audience that filled all available space in the auditorium; the rooms were packed and the aisles extended out to the sidewalk. Prior to the church exercises, private services were held at the residence, 1006 Terry Street, where only the family and the most intimate friends were present.

It is seldom in the history of a city that the memory of a man like Mr. Heilbron receives such a tribute. There were united in common sorrow yesterday afternoon the financial, educational, fraternal and political elements of Seattle, King County and the state. There was something intensely impressive about the simple yet stately exercises that marked the last tribute to the memory of one who had ever been a prominent figure in the history of the new state of Washington and the development of this city.

At 2 o’clock the private services were held at the residence for the family and more intimate friends and business associates of Mr. Heilbron. The casket was placed in the parlor surrounded with flowers, and the small audience assembled in the hall. Rev. J. H. Acton, D.D., read the latter half of 1 Corinthians 15 and offered prayer. Rev. William Martin of Tacoma then read verses from the memorial to the late F. J. Grant, particularly appropriate also to his friend Mr. Heilbron. Rev. D. C. Garrett next made a short address in which he dwelt on the obligation of Mr. Heilbron’s character and the beauty of his domestic life. A prayer and the benediction by Mr. Garrett closed the ceremony. The remains were then conveyed to the church, followed by many friends.

The church was beautifully decorated with palms, ivy, cherry blossoms and calla lilies, in addition to the numerous set pieces brought from the house at the close of the services there. The decorations at the church were the work of the lady friends of Mrs. Heilbron, and their exquisite taste showed devoted friendship. Directly in front of the pulpit were three large pots of lilies with beautiful white flowers. At the left, as one looked from the main part of the church, was a perfect maze of ivy and ribbons arranged so as not to conceal the railing behind which sat the choir. Behind this wall of loveliness were stands on which had been placed floral pieces filled with pansies. At the right of the pulpit the pillars were wound with ivy and heliotrope. The grandest work, however, was a large carpet made of green, yellow and white flowers that stood fully three inches above the floor and on which stood a catafalque for the casket.

A constant stream of callers filled the building. Seats had been reserved for the honorary pallbearers, the diplomatic corps and members of the Chamber of Commerce, while on the other side of the church were seats for the representatives of the Post-Intelligencer, the Royal Arcanum, school directors, etc. Governor John H. McGraw, ex-Governor Elisha P. Ferry and other state and city officials led the honorary pallbearers.

Rev. Martin said in part: “The first duty of a true service is to be in sympathy with the toll of a life. … We feel today that a good man has gone from us. Mr. Heilbron was a man whose life’s record has been one of honor, of courage, of loyalty to truth and to purpose—a man of intellectual attainments, but no less of moral graces; a man whose sterling qualities endeared him to all with whom he came in contact.

“It is not my good fortune,” Mr. Martin continued, “to know Mr. Heilbron intimately, or even well, as many of you who are here today knew him. And yet I remember most clearly that one hour I passed in his company a year ago. He touched the vital things at once upon the deeper, better things of life. We talked together of the old days at Harvard. … He seemed to me the type of a truly rich man—not rich because of his blocks of rolling stock and deposits in the bank, but rich in the things of the mind and spirit. … What is the meaning of all these faces here today? What is the meaning of this assembly, representing every grade of society, every occupation, every creed? It means regard, esteem, honor and love for a noble citizen and a true friend.

“Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, the state of Washington are all poorer now that Mr. Heilbron is dead. He has gone from a loving wife, from father and from children, gone from the family upon whose sacred sorrows I shall not intrude. He has gone from among us, but he will live on in the memory of all those who knew him as he was. His death was so unexpected and so sudden that a great sense of vacancy has been created in our hearts. It is as though some tower of a high building, that we have been accustomed to look at day after day, had suddenly disappeared.”

At the close of the address the quartette sang, Dr. Acton offered the benediction, and the choir sang again. The remains were taken to Lake View Cemetery under escort of the Royal Arcanum. At the grave the services were closed with a brief prayer by Mr. Acton.

The floral tributes were numerous. There were twenty large pieces in addition to innumerable smaller floral offerings. Among the designs were those from the Chamber of Commerce and the Rainier Club. The board of public works, of which Mr. Heilbron was formerly a member, adopted resolutions praising his “diligent, conscientious and patient effort” and ordering them spread upon the official records. The King County Investment Company likewise memorialized its former treasurer as “a man of clear judgment and high sense of honor; his word, once given, was never broken.”