On Tuesday, February 14th, we lost a shining light in our lives. Mom was an incredible mother, wife, grandmother, daughter, teacher and friend. She touched many lives in the community throughout her career, and continued being a champion of positivity and strength despite the overwhelming challenges she faced in her lifetime. She and our dad were amazing people and dedicated their lives to helping others, and were reunited on a very fitting holiday.

Mom was the first person to wish you Happy Birthday, to send a card, to tell a joke, to offer a hug, right when you needed it most. She was always just a call away. She was passionate about teaching, caring for children, advocating for folks with disabilities, and making others feel loved and appreciated.

While she was busy brightening others' days, she was fighting many battles herself. She was the strongest person we knew, having been through such a traumatic experience losing our father in an accident in 2007, raising three children, working with her newfound disabilities, and more recently, fighting cancer twice. She was an inspiration to "keep on swimming" to say the least.

We are so lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family members offering condolences and asking how they can help my brothers and I at this time. The purpose of this fundraiser is to help offset the costs of mom's service and to aid my brothers for all of their financial efforts in taking care of mom and her many doctor appointments, medicines, and cancer treatments in the recent past.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Hug your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you. I'm so glad our mom always did ❤️