Minute hands quietly marked time Saturday morning while dozens of people gathered to remember The Watchman as a gentle odd-ball, who often brought out the best in the Harbor community.
Six of his watches lay on a lace-covered podium at the front of the Harbor City Church. Each one told a different time, silently spinning on in the absence of their owner.
Grant Victor Salem, a downtown fixture known to many as The Watchman, died March 4 in his Wishkah Street apartment at the age of 57. For more than 20 years, he had walked the streets of Aberdeen, lugging a large suitcase and obsessively checking his multiple watches.
"We want to say thanks for the life that you gave to Aberdeen," Pastor Doug Cotton prayed before a group of more than 70 mourners.
A repetitive beeping broke the silence as an alarm sounded from one of the watches on the podium.
Many people stood to share stories of how Salem had touched their lives, setting a courteous example and putting a friendly face on the many people struggling with a life on the street. Some wiped at tears as they recalled the moments both big and small that they shared with one of the city's most recognizable characters.
Ginger Holcomb stepped forward to read a letter about Salem, admitting she had feared him as a child, but later found him to be a "kind and warm" man. She said she often gave him money to buy coffee and asked others at the memorial to pass on his kindness.
"He went from being The Watchman ... to watching over us," she said, adding "He was our Watchman. ... God did bless an entire town."
Aberdeen resident Nancy Perron said the outpouring of community grief showed how tightly knit the Harbor remains and how much one person can matter to the people around him.
"It was a magic thing to see what Victor has done for this town," she said.
As a microphone was passed around the room, Renee Lynch said she moved away from the Harbor a few times before eventually returning and The Watchman was the one constant on the streets of Aberdeen.
"He was so gentle and so kind," she said. "I never knew his name, but I talked to him all the time."
Many speakers asked attendees to open their hearts to others living on the street and help however they could. They said Salem could still teach people to be more compassionate toward others in the community.
Aberdeen Mayor Bill Simpson said Salem was a "symbol" of those people forgotten at the edges of society. He represented dozens of people in need of friendship and a helping hand.
"They aren't as scary as we think they are," he said.
Simpson urged others to reach out to those in need to offer what they could. He said Salem had obviously earned many friends through his own quirky way.
"I think it will be an awfully long time before we forget Victor," he said. "He was a very good man."
After all the fond memories and shared stories, another beeping broke the silence as the watch on the podium sounded again.