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Photo Credit Peter Jordan

Our beloved Br. Harold Thibodeau passed away on the 9 January 2010, peacefully, at 1:00 in the morning.

He was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on the 5 July, 1936. He attended Michigan State University. He entered Gethsemani on 1 October, 1960, joined the novitiate on 13 November 1960, began his temporary profession on 15 November 1962 and took his solemn vows on 9 June, 1968.

He worked at many jobs during his stay here, including the kitchen and the infirmary. He is perhaps best remembered for his contributions to the landscape of Gethsemani. Trained as a horticulturist, he loved plants and knew their most intimate secrets. Many of the gardens which fill the grounds are his work.

He was also very interested in Buddhism and made a pilgrimage around the world visiting Buddhist sites and making friends, which he did everywhere with ease.

Many people, both in the monastery and outside it remember Br. Harold as the gentlest man they ever met. Though reduced in his later years by Alzheimer's disease, he never lost his gentle, loving nature.