Ray Methot had hoped to make it to the celebration of his 60th year Anniversary of his marriage to his high school sweetheart and his best friend, Kathie, the crowning jewel of a life well-lived. They had a very special relationship, the kind of love that poets try to capture. Ray and Kathie did everything together including laundry and shopping, going out for lunch and all the other usual things couples do…but they lived their love in a way that spoke to the fact that they didn’t want to be apart because they genuinely loved being in one another’s company. The beauty of the flower gardens that they tended together reflected the beauty of the love between them.

Their daughters, Kerry and Kersti, were fortunate to grow up under this umbrella of exquisite care that extended i

The separate funerals for his parents were in the past, his mom having passed in 2017 and his dad following her in 2019, but Steve had no cemetery plot to visit. His family had opted for cremation following the loss of each parent. Like so many families making this choice, they had the cremation remains, but he felt like something was missing. Without a burial plot, where was the tangible place he could point to that could commemorate his parents’ lives?

Steve was lucky enough to have known Chris Nordin for a lifetime since they grew up attending the same family camp in Wixom, Michigan. Remembering that Chris is a glass artist, Steve approached him with a request to create something simple that incorporated a portion of the cremation remains of each of his parents in a way that

Dwane remembers his mom, Donna, as being a creative light in the lives of many people. She was very loving to her family as well as dedicated to her church and her community. Very talented, she made her own wedding dress! Even though she obtained an art degree later in life, as an artist, Donna was always known for her inventive costumes, sewing projects, ceramics and paintings. She gave her time and her talents freely to making banners for her church and giving her artworks to family and friends where they are still held as treasured gifts. What better way to honor her legacy than with a commemorative fine art sculpture.

It was the day after Thanksgiving and Valerie was tired, too tired to go back up to the cabin in the Smoky Mountains. She had thought that after her work day, she’d head back to start putting up the Christmas decorations at the cabin, lingering in the good feelings generated the day before from the annual celebration of gratitude with dear friends. Instead, she turned the car toward the easier drive home.