Brick Road Memorial Park and High Valley Cemetery

10/18/2025

Brick Road Cemetery office was painted this week 😀

08/20/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HcUyauHEH/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Please join us at High Valley Cemetery

Many thanks to Johnston William's Funeral Home

On Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., Johnston & Williams, in partnership with the Ellensburg IOOF Lodge, will host a remembrance ceremony at High Valley Cemetery (2521 Robinson Canyon Road, Ellensburg) honoring SP5 Hugh Conrad Clausen, Kittitas County’s only casualty of the Vietnam War.

SP5 Clausen served with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Army Vietnam.

On September 22, 1966, tragedy struck. During efforts to expand the perimeter of their base camp, soldiers were ordered to dig in an area that had been declared cleared of mines. It was not. A mine detonated, gravely wounding three men. Fellow soldiers — many of them medics — rushed into the danger zone to render aid, knowing full well there could be more mines hidden beneath the soil. Moments later, a second explosion ripped through the field, claiming the lives of SP5 Clausen and six of his comrades:

SP4 Richard P. Bartle
PFC Joseph N. Davi
PFC Samuel E. Murph
PFC Larry L. Reynolds
SP4 Walter L. Wells
PFC George Wycinsky

James Austin, who was present that day, later wrote of the chaos and courage shown by those who continued to risk everything to save their wounded brothers, carrying them one by one to waiting helicopters. His account reminds us that this was not just a tragic accident — it was a moment of selflessness, bravery, and sacrifice.

Nearly sixty years later, our community pauses to remember SP5 Clausen — a young man from Kittitas County who never made it home, and whose name is forever etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as The Wall That Heals, Panel 10E, Line 131.

We invite you to join us at High Valley Cemetery on September 4 to honor his memory. The ceremony will last about 30 minutes. Parking is limited, so please plan to arrive early. Chairs will be available.

Let us gather, as a community, to ensure that SP5 Hugh Conrad Clausen is never forgotten.

05/24/2024

Thank you! 😊
We are fortunate to have the CWU Army ROTC come every year to place the flags on our Veterans graves.

10/22/2023

You’re invited!
Please RSVP

For inquiries, contact us here. Looking forward to celebrating with you! Warm regards, Ellensburg Odd Fellows

05/26/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=6089956501058181&id=100001316745976&mibextid=0cALme

09/29/2022

The day we have been waiting for has come!

Four, 48 niche columbarium’s were installed at I.OO.F.Cemetery and One was installed at High Valley Cemetery 😃

09/11/2022

https://blog.volunteernow.org/9-11-2022-11-days-of-remembrance/

05/30/2022

Today we honor all those who served and can longer be with us. May we remember their names and all they have done and sacrificed.

Photo from 25 May 2022 when CWU cadets placed flags at the graves of veterans buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Ellensburg, WA.

04/21/2022

Grass looks good

02/05/2022

https://facebook.com/events/s/rodeo-city-repair-cafe/614191469884706/

02/03/2022

Looking forward to spring! Not much longer now 🤗