After he retired, our Dad’s pet project was to create a display of over 50 hanging flower baskets on the light poles down the entire Main Street of Onalaska. This project was started over 20 years ago in coordination with the Centering Onalaska community organization, of which our parents were founding members.
Dad not only raised the funds, he also designed the hanging hardware, drove to Red Wing, MN each year to pickup the flower baskets, assembled the baskets, hung the baskets, and watered the baskets daily for many years. Much of this work has since been taken over by the City of Onalaska, but Dad continued to be involved, up to and including this spring, as he’s done since the beginning.
We recently learned the project is in the middle of a capital campaign to raise over $200K to make the project self-sustaining.
With this in mind, we believe that, in lieu of flower arrangements or tokens of remembrance, having people donate to this capital campaign would create a permanent “memorial” to our father’s life and work. One that our mother would be able to see every day, and would be a visible and enduring legacy of our father’s passion to serve others, and your desire to remember him.
ALL funds collected with this fundraiser will go to the Centering Onalaska Flower Hanging Basket capital campaign in Dad’s name.
Lastly, you may be wondering about the funding amount of $2541. Dad’s birthday is June 25, 1941, and so we thought it fitting to use his birth day and birth year to create the amount.
Our family is grateful for whatever you can contribute. And we are grateful for each of you and what you meant to our Dad. We miss him deeply already.