Remembering Moms Bouquet Outreach Program 2022 Nomination Stories
Mother’s Day is meant to celebrate the moms in our lives. However for those who have experienced loss, celebrating Mother’s Day can be bittersweet. The reality is, not everyone is able to celebrate Mother’s Day with a traditional brunch, greenhouse browsing, or shopping/gift-giving.
Whether it has been a recent loss or many years, we wanted to reach people in our community who could use a smile from someone remembering their mom, so we asked for nominations and received an overwhelming response!
We donated our time and materials for 17 bouquets to honor moms in our community for our first-ever “Remembering Moms” Bouquet Outreach Program. The bouquets were delivered the week before Mother’s Day. We are delighted to share the wonderful memories of the selected nominees!
Read all the stories below of our 2022 nominees!
For Janice Blace, in memory of Alice Loeffler
Nomination from Cara Swanstrom:
My mom has been without her mom before walking down the aisle, before having kids, and before, now, majority of her life. May is the month that we honor our mothers. It's also the month that my mom said goodbye to hers. I hope this bouquet will help bring some sweet memories of her mother, and know she is loved by those that gave her the title of "Mom." Love you Mom!
For Angie Urban, in memory of Kathy Laurent
Nomination from Amanda Mickelson:
My mom helped care for my grandma Kathy in the last few months of her life. It takes a special person to be able to care for their loved ones and she made sure she was loved until the end. I can only hope to be as good a daughter/mother as she is.
For Makayla Bonacci, in
memory of Kathleen Bonacci
Nomination from Kathleen Privette:
Thankful that I get to share a name with her, and that we both love you and are proud of you!
Sending you so much love today and always!
For Andrea Benson, in memory of Lorraine Hustad
Nomination from Sheena Kern:
I’d love to bring a smile to my cousin Andrea this Mother’s Day. She is a fabulous mother to three outstanding, confident, caring, and beautiful inside & out young women.
Unfortunately, my beloved Aunt Lorraine (Andrea’s mother) passed away on May 16th, 2016 after a short battle with ovarian cancer. May 16th also happens to be Andrea’s birthday. As you can imagine, the month of May becomes a mix of emotions. While it’s a celebration of Andrea’s birthday and the great Mom she is, these dates also serve as a reminder that another year has gone by without Lorraine.
Lorraine was an extremely special woman and everyone who knew her LOVED her. She gave the best advice, had the best sense of humor & quick wit, and made all feel included no matter what. She was selfless, gorgeous, and so classy! I miss her and adore her more than I could ever put into words.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an especially stressful time for Andrea in her role as an anesthesiologist. If Lorraine was here, I know she would be Andrea’s biggest supporter. Only Lorraine would have been able to provide her with a few laughs and a shoulder to cry on in the way she needed it most. I cannot imagine how many times Andrea wished she could have called her in these past 2 years.
I know flowers can’t replace Lorraine not being here, but I hope to honor her legacy by sharing about her and show Andrea how proud I am of her through this submission.
For Belle Wanke, in memory of Missy Wanke
Nomination from anonymous:
Belle lost her mom to pancreatic cancer three years ago. Her mom was her biggest fan and adventure partner and she is missed dearly. Belle is getting married this year and her mother would be so proud of the woman she has become.
For Maureen Johnston, in memory of Vina Roland
Nomination from Jaymee Everson:
Maureen is my mother in law. Her mother, Vina, passed away just after Mother’s Day (May 21, 2014). She had Dementia and Alzheimer’s. The last year plus, Maureen was a full-time caregiver for her mother, all while working a full-time job. Now as this date is approaching, Maureen is now caring for her dad, Mel. She has cared so much for her parents and a simple bouquet would just be a small token of our gratitude. We love her so much and want her to know everything she does, does not go unnoticed.
For Jason Rasch, in memory of Georgia Rasch
Nomination from anonymous:
Even though it’s been 9 years without her, Georgia is here with you everyday. Love you lots.
For Tonya Kolenda, in memory of Dory Nelson
Nomination from Cindy Lundeen:
To our mom’s youngest daughter: we all try to be as good as our mother was to us. Mom put us kids first, money scarce, food scarce, frivolities minimal but we didn’t miss a thing. She showed us a mother’s love is what counts. Happy Mother’s Day, mom, we miss you every single day.
For Kaelynn Boles, in memory of Kim Fisk
Nomination from anonymous:
My grandma was diagnosed with a rare disease a little over four years ago. My mom, who is a nurse, would fly down to Florida every month or so to help take care of her mom. My grandma was one of the strongest ladies I had ever met. She over came many obstacles until God called her name. The loss of her mom still affects her everyday. March 17th is Kim’s birthday. The reason I am nominating my mom is because just like my grandma, she is so strong. The loss of my grandma has affected all of us and she will forever be missed. A memory of my grandma was one of my last ones. We had flown down to Florida for a family Christmas. I remember putting Disney plus on her TV so she could watch Disney movies. We continued to watch movies all day. It was the last time that we were all together as a family. It is still hard to talk about her without tearing up. There are many times that my mom and I have gone shopping, seen something that has reminded us of her, and ended up crying in the car on the way home.
For Betty McDonald, in memory of Irene Hare-Evanson
Nomination from Tammie McDonald:
My mother, Betty, just lost her mother in December. My beautiful Grandmother was a young 95 years old! For the past couple of years, my mother cared for my grandmother day and night. She has moved her to three different facilities for care; she is there at a minute’s notice when she was called, and sat for many many hours and days at hospital bedsides. My mother sacrificed SO MUCH to provide the care my grandmother deserved. This will be the first Mother's Day that my mom will share without her mom.
For Chris Morin, in memory of Helen Erickson
Nomination from Brooke Strom:
I am nominating my mom because she is the most selfless person I have ever met. Our family had a string of really tough losses starting with my Auntie Les, then my uncle Marty and my Grandma Helen having surgery to have her leg amputated. Because my uncle was her primary care giver, after he passed away my mom stepped in. At the time, she was still working and living in Duluth and over the course of 2 years would commute back and forth and spend every second she could with my Grandma. During Covid, the nursing home stopped allowing visitors so my mom would bundle up, and even on the coldest of days, sit outside my Grandma’s window on the phone with her (one of my favorite memories!) My mom would drop anything to help anyone that asked her, whether that’s a neighbor, her kids and certainly her grandkids! I will be deployed this year for Mother’s Day, but I know my mom will be looking after my husband and kids and make sure every holiday and event is filled with all the love she has to give! I’d love nothing more than to share this beautiful bouquet of flowers for my mom who will be standing in my place for my family until August!
For Teresa Robinson, in memory of Susan Jackson
Nomination from anonymous:
Here’s to all the early morning phone call chats, the laughs, the tears, and the mischievous adventure we found ourselves in and that we miss dearly today. Happy first Heavenly Mother’s Day Gramma! We love you!
For Adalia Nachtsheim, in memory of Kathy Hatanpaa
Nomination from Kelly Nachtsheim and Taylor Soular:
My sister-in-law, Adalia, lost her mom, Kathy, to ALS. She never got to meet her first grandchild or see two of her children get married in the following years. Adalia and her mom were the best of friends. I know she misses having her guidance and support as she will be welcoming a second baby into the world this coming August.
Kathy was always such a bright and happy person. Growing up, she felt like a second mom to me. Seeing her go through such an awful disease and slowly lose her ability to function was horrible, but through it all, she never lost her sense of humor. I remember her making jokes about running people over in her wheelchair. She is greatly missed.
For Molly Solberg, in memory of Ann Vollmar
Nomination from anonymous:
Last March, Ann lost her battle with ALS - a tough, terrible disease. In honor of your mom, we’ve made a donation to a local ALS organization to help fund the fight against ALS. We hope these flowers help add more sweetness to this bittersweet holiday, in memory of your mom.
For Karen Flesvig, Karla Ruud, Kristine Barnes, in memory of Virginia Ruud
Nomination from Snookie’s grandkids:
Her crafty-ness. Her thrifty-ness. Her thoughtfulness. She raised 6 great kids, who shared all the best memories of her. These are all the memories we wished we could have experienced with your mom, and our Grandma Gin. While our grandma was gone before most of us were born, she lives on in the treasures we’ve kept, the pictures we hold onto, and the Ruud girls she raised. We love you all!
”Grief is the reminder that love was present & even if it’s no longer in its original form, that love still exists.”
- Michelle Maros
For Sandy Judge, in memory of Dolores Weber
Nomination from your Skyline family:
Delores lost to a terribly difficult disease. Your dedication to funding the fight against ALS does not go unnoticed. You are making a difference for all those with ALS, in honor of your mom. Mother’s Day is bittersweet without her, but we want to THANK YOU for everything you do!
For Joddy Polzin, in memory of Audrey Lasky
Nomination from Karen Flesvig:
Joddy is a sister, wife, Mom, Grandma and a friend to many. Joddy will reach out to her family and friends just to see how they are doing and to let them know that she is thinking of them. She has been known to just drop by with a book, DQ treats, homemade sweets or even with a complete meal.
Joddy has shared many stories about her Mom, hosting family functions at the lake, and being a partner in a DQ business. I can tell that her Mom was a very special lady to Joddy.
Happy Mothers Day, Joddy! Thinking of your Mom on this Mother’s Day
