Hope prevails: Public memorial under construction

By Kristine Thomas

Shannon Gossack and Genie Stoll have a new appreciation for blisters.

Both women earned a few in September, while working on the Silverton Angel of Hope memorial public garden near the Gordon House at The Oregon Garden.

Along with their husbands, Greg Gossack and Denny Stoll, the two watched as Erv Stadeli used heavy equipment to break ground for the garden and as landscape designer Ron Thompson directed where dirt mounds needed to be created and boulders moved. Shannon and Genie pitched in as needed.

“I think blisters can heal a broken heart,” Shannon said, “along with the unbelievable support from the community.”

Shannon’s son Nick, 23, died on June 20, 2010, and Genie’s son, Jeff Mickelson, died Sept. 23, 2010.

The Stolls and the Gossacks along with Bill and Judy Schmidt and Jeri and Mike Block started the nonprofit Silverton Angel of Hope. They have already raised the $14,500 to purchase the bronze statue that will arrive soon, and have begun work on the memorial garden.

The Angel of Hope statue is based on the one written about in the novel The Christmas Box, by Richard Paul Evans. In the book, a woman mourns the loss of her child at the base of an angel monument. Paul Evans commissioned a bronze angel  to be created and it was dedicated on Dec. 6, 1994 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since then, more than 100 bronze angels have been commissioned, including statues in Salem and Portland.

By creating a Silverton Angel of Hope garden, Genie and Shannon want to give grieving parents a place to go for solace, healing and hope.

Genie watched in awe as Stadeli and Thompson, who both volunteered their talents, quickly transformed a grassy knoll to a peaceful place where people can grieve the loss of the loved one. Thompson, who had drawn plans for the garden, improvised on the spot with the creation of a reflection pond.

“Yesterday for me was full of good things,” Genie said the day after the excavation work. “It was one of the best days I have had in a very long time. I even have a few blisters from it.”

There are plans for a Christmas tree to be decorated with lights and the garden to be filled with native Oregon plants.

Thompson, who owns Thompson Landscape and Interior Design, said the garden will be a natural grotto where a person can sit in private and meditate.

The owner of Stadeli Underground, Stadeli said he enjoyed working on the project; it didn’t feel like work. Spending a day volunteering was worth it to “see Greg, Shannon and Genie smile.”

“Volunteering was the least I could do to help friends who are hurting after the loss of a child,” he said. “It’s just what we are supposed to do, help people in need.”

Genie and Shannon said they have been overwhelmed by the community’s support.

The Silverton Angel of Hope memorial garden is more than Shannon imagined.

“We are creating this garden for the community,” Shannon said. “It’s been very emotional to see this project progress. After everything we have been through, this hard work is for a good reason. It’s to honor Nick and Jeff and every child who has died.”