BURLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — A mule-drawn wagon will carry the casket of a former Burlington, Wash., mayor as part of a public remembrance planned for Saturday.
Roger “Gus” Tjeerdsma (Church’-mah) died Feb. 19 at age 68 of injuries he suffered in a Feb. 4 construction accident in Mount Vernon. He was operating a bulldozer when he was pulled under a tread and suffered severe injuries to his legs and pelvis.
The Skagit Valley Herald says that during his 12 years as mayor, Tjeerdsma saw the construction of a new City Hall, library, boat launch and police and fire stations.
After a public memorial service, his casket will be lifted into a wagon driven by his youngest son and drawn through town by the mules he hoped to one day use for logging. A private internment is planned.
