My Mother's Funeral Expenses

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Donna Peterson, passed away suddenly this December 18th, 2017. She was the kind of woman who gave everything she had to the people she loved around her. She was everyone's caretaker and the very glue that kept the pieces of our lives together. She would've have been 57 this January.  She lived for her family and now we live to honor her memory and lay her to rest surrounded by those who loved her most.

You never expect a loved one to die suddenly and not have the opportunity to say goodbye or share one more "I love you" over their morning coffee or stop by unannounced to see how you're doing. We will miss the little things about her. The non-stop phonecalls to check in. The endless trips to McDonalds to get her favorite "french vanilla iced coffee EXTRA EXTRA" or her favorite C12 meal at King China.  She avoided photos like the plague and insisted on being in the background. She lived for her two grandchildren, one of whom she was unable to meet before her death.

Few people ever think the day will come that their mother or loved one will die. It's something that few people can prepare for. This can be said for me and my family.  As such, we have few resources to give her the funeral she should have. No one should have to worry about how to pay for a funeral. No one should have to spend hours trying to find the most beautiful urn that their mother would have picked for herself or the songs that she loved most to play during her funeral service.  

I know that this is a very donation-heavy time of year. If you can, please donate what you can in her memory. She was the kind of person who would give you her own shoes or the last dollar in her wallet if you needed it. Christmas won't be the same without her. I am my mothers daughter. She was stubborn, kind-hearted, humorous and one of the most compassionate people you'd ever meet. Life won't be the same without her but please try and honor her memory by living life the way she did: day by day and for the service of others. I couldn't be more proud to be her daughter. Everyone whose lives were touched by her know how amazing she was. Please take this as a time to hug those you love and never forget to say how much you love them. You never know if it will be the last time you do.