Members of Foundation - Hope For Widows Foundation

Board of Directors

Secretary and Social Media Assistant
Simone Garcia

Board Member, Grant Chair
Desiree Fransua

Board Member and Newsletter Chair
Melissa Peoples

Executive Director

Chasity Williams

Chasity Williams is a nonprofit professional with an extensive background that includes C-Suite support, Operations, Corporate Event Planning, Human Resources, Client Relations, and Project Management. Chasity is also involved with several volunteer organizations that include grief facilitation, bereavement support at local hospices, and leading several online grief resources. Her passion and heart are to serve and help others.

Chasity is two time published author that shares a collection of stories by widows across the globe. Each shares their own personal insight into the hidden and often unspoken challenges of losing a husband, including the emotional, mental and social shifts we are forced to reckon with in the aftermath. Visit here to read more and order a copy: Grief Diaries: Through the Eyes of a Widow and The Unwelcome Committee

Chasity met her late husband at the young age of eighteen. In June of 2009, her life would forever change when she lost her husband suddenly in a lake drowning at the age of thirty-four years old. Finding out who she was again, raising her son, and living life to the fullest even after this tragedy was a mission she was eager to accomplish. Darrell and Chasity have one son together who is a recent college graduate that is now working full-time and choreographing his next big adventure.

Chasity enjoys volunteering, traveling, sporting events, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.

Treasurer

Paula Gleicher Greenstreet

Paula Gleicher Greenstreet started her career as a Software Engineer in the video manufacturing industry. After receiving her MBA from the University of Phoenix in 1993, she went into management, and then marketing. She met her soulmate, Joe, in 1997 when work moved her from Salt Lake City, Utah to Nevada City, California. They married three years later.

The Dot Com bust forced Paula to reinvent herself. With help, guidance, and support from Joe, she became a Real Estate Broker. In 2004, she and Joe merged businesses to form BroadStreet Financial Group. Ten years later, she realized she liked accounting more and became an Enrolled Agent. With Joe’s passing from Neuroendocrine Cancer on August 29, 2018, she pledged to carry on their accounting business in his honor and has continued to grow it with her five female employees.

Paula is no stranger to volunteer work. She was event chair for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for four years and served on the steering committee for an additional four years. She was a Community Ambassador for the American Cancer Society and has traveled the country speaking to lawmakers about the importance of cancer research funding.

Paula joined Early Risers Toastmasters in 2000 and achieved Distinguished Toastmaster status in 2011. She is still an active member. She served as Toastmasters District 39 Treasurer in 2011 and has served all the officers’ roles in her club – President, Vice President Education, Vice President Membership, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sergeant at Arms.

Paula has two Rottweilers named Freddy and Barney, and two cats named Pebbles and Bam Bam. She loves visiting with her bonus family of three stepdaughters, three sons-in-law, and six grandchildren. She also enjoys gardening, reading, and more recently rediscovered her love of jigsaw puzzles.

When asked what most people do not know about her – she shared that even though she loved going Jeeping with Joe and their friends, she was usually scared spitless!

Secretary and Social Media Assistant

Simone Garcia

Simone Garcia has worked for the Department of Treasury for over 10 years and holds a degree in Business Management. She is also the administrator at her church. She also serves as one leader of The PBF Proverbs 31 Women’s Ministry where they enrich the lives of women body, soul, and spirit, by inspiring and encouraging women to live in the fullness that God intended.

Simone met her late husband Gregory in 1992 through a mutual friend and became best friends for over eighteen years. Simone and Gregory were married for four years and had no children. Their marriage was filled with an abundance of love and laughter. They shared a love of football, music, cooking, and Star Wars. Gregory dealt with many health issues which lead to his untimely death on Sunday, February 6, 2017. Being a sudden widow at the age of 42, Simone was lost and did not know how to navigate her first time dealing with grief. It was through a repost of an insightful meme her cousin, who also became a sudden widow, where Simone discovered Hope for Widows Foundation. Simone found that there were other women from all walks of life who were dealing with the same issues she was and that she was not alone. The Hope for Widows Foundation community became a refuge and helped her through her grief journey. Since the death of her late husband, Simone has been trying to find her purpose in her “new normal life”. Joining Hope for Widows Foundation would give an opportunity for her to share experiences, resources, and encouragement to fellow widows, especially to those who’ve never experienced grief before.

Board Member, Grant Chair

Desiree Fransua

Desiree Fransua is currently a Project Manager for an Emergency Medical Services Billing and Technology Firm where she handles new client onboarding and implementation processes for ambulance transporting agencies. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Human Resource Management from Regis University and her Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University Global. Desiree has been employed in the healthcare revenue cycle industry for almost twenty years. Her experience in the industry also includes managing staff, process improvement, billing operations, payer credentialing and contracting, provider relations, and project management.

Desiree and her husband Marcus spent nearly two decades experiencing life’s precious moments together. A life full of good, bad, wonderful, terrible, blissful, gut-wrenching moments. In February 2018, just a few months before his fortieth birthday, Marcus suddenly passed away from a fatal acute subdural hematoma caused by a head injury. With this tragedy, came many challenges. Her entire world changed; now a widow and single parent. Marcus and Desiree had two sons together; ages sixteen and nine at the time. Desiree is a follower of Christ, she relies heavily on her faith to create a path towards hope and healing for herself and her children.

Desiree joined the Hope for Widows Board for many reasons but is determined to turn pain into purpose by helping other women that are also navigating their widow journey. She believes empathy, compassion, community, and fellowship make all the difference in the healing process.

Desiree enjoys attending church, volunteering, exercising, traveling, going to concerts, and making memories with her family and friends.

Board Member and Newsletter Chair

Melissa Peoples

Melissa PL Peoples has been serving the public in leadership positions over the past 18 years. She has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Her experience includes leading process improvement efforts, training and developing, and building positive relationships. She is currently a certified Business Relationship Manager Professional and focuses on educating, engaging, and building professional partnerships.

Melissa lost her loving husband, Raymond, to a sudden heart attack in 2015. Grieving, child-rearing their one-year-old son at the time, and navigating “the new normal” can be a lonely journey. Her hope is that serving on the Hope for Widows Foundation Board will make a greater impact for the widow community and the resources available.

Melissa is action-focused. As a previous community blogger for Hope for Widows Foundation, Melissa hoped to provoke thought, share ideas, and encourage. Over the last year, she has served as the Newsletter Chair and desires to continue to help her sisters in the widow community. Grief is a process but moving forward is an opportunity.

Her passion is to encourage, motivate, and help others. She taps into her professional experience as well as all of the tools she learned on her journey of “the new normal”. You can also find her on Instagram @Melissa_PL_P

Board Member

Jessica Davis

Jessica Davis, as a financial planner, specializes in supporting women during moments of grief, guiding them through the process of rebuilding their lives, and empowering them to move forward with confidence after the loss of a spouse. Many of her clients seek her expertise during the initial stages of widowhood, feeling overwhelmed by the numerous responsibilities and the emotional void left behind. She assists with every step, from managing immediate needs such as paying bills and organizing accounts, to developing income replacement strategies, long-term financial planning, and more, all while providing compassionate support as they navigate the emotions and stages of grief.

Her passion for serving widows and supporting women through transitional periods stemmed from a personal experience of assisting someone close to her after the unexpected passing of their spouse. This pivotal moment inspired her commitment to helping women move forward through their widowhood journey, making it her mission to provide comprehensive support and care.

With a lifelong passion for helping others, she began her career as a counselor, life coach, and personal trainer. Her counseling experience includes work with churches, schools, villages, and prisons in Rwanda, Africa, where she supported survivors and perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and helped develop community programs to foster healing and resilience. Back home in Fort Worth, Texas, she counseled women and families facing crisis pregnancies at a local help center, provided therapy for high-risk foster children in private practice, and supported adult university students through life and career transitions. This background in counseling has equipped her with deep empathy and insight into the nature of trauma, loss, and grief.

Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, she is a single mother to her daughter, Karsyn, and their standard poodle, Lila. In her free time, she enjoys quilting, working out, traveling, reading, volunteering at her church and in the community, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Board Member

Ajai Blue-Saunders

Ajai (Ah-jay) Blue-Saunders has been involved with program development and nonprofit management for over 30 years. She has a background in Grief and Loss gained in her educational experience which has been further developed by experiencing the loss of her father, mother, older sister, brother, young granddaughter and finally her husband John in 2015. Currently she resides in Virginia with her adult daughter with disabilities and together they are learning and attempting to live a fulfilled life without him.

Ajai is a grief educator working with women to navigate the ocean of grief through strong Christian beliefs and much prayer. She has been a peer leader of a local widow’s support group, an active panelist on community and national workshops discussing grief and healing, and she can be found as a presenter on the PBS media platform “Speaking Grief ” which helps grievers and those supporting those in grief.

Ajai has been a monthly blogger for Hope for Widows Foundation for over 4 years and enjoys sharing wisdom, resources and talents to make the world a better place to live and thrive. She is honored to serve on the Board of Directors helping to strengthen its impact on widows worldwide.

Board Member

Laura Pittman

Laura Pittman is a storyteller at heart. She currently works as a professional writer for an IT Distribution company in their internal marketing agency. In addition, she maintains her own website www.laurabrownpittman.com, where she enjoys telling stories of men and women living out their passions in areas such as rodeo, ranching, western art, wildlife, hunting, fishing, and the outdoors.

God gave her a beautiful gift in bringing her together with her husband Keith. His love and light lives on in her heart and soul, although he went home to be with God on a tragic night when Laura was 26 years old. Among other things, they shared a love of animals, and in true complementary partnership, Laura talked to them and Keith knew how to listen to them.

Laura didn’t know how to navigate the many challenges that arose outside of the overwhelming grief. After online research, she was drawn to the storytelling and empathy she found in the Hope for Widows foundation. She is proud to give back to an organization that has connected her with so many women who have brought her hope and wants to walk alongside others on this hard shared journey.

In her free time, she enjoys horseback riding, breakaway roping, quail hunting her bird dogs, church activities, reading, and time with friends and family.

Board Member

Caroline Stephenson

Caroline Stephenson is in the rebuild and rewrite of her life and story after her husband, Shayne, unexpectedly died of an accidental overdose in April 2016. Caroline was blindsided by complicated grief and widowhood at age 29. At the time of her
husband’s death, she was raising her two young daughters, working and building a business and team of women as a Beachbody coach while simultaneously practicing her additional culinary interest and craft, running her own cake and dessert business, Sweet Caroline Cakery,
in Houston, Tx.

Everything about life completely changed after April 2016. Forced to move out of their home in Texas shortly after Shayne’s death, three months later she settled herself and children in the Florida panhandle where she had married Shayne in 2009.

Caroline leaned on her experiences as a writer and creative as she transitioned from Texas to Florida in the beginnings of widowhood. She is a freelance writer and copy editor of more than ten years, published in the Chicago Daily Herald, Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale and
contributed locally to 30A.com. She has maintained blogs, managed an online newsletter, and contributed to local brands and media outlets from South Florida to South Walton.

Caroline also started secondary education again and completed her Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s in this time widowed and raising her young daughters. She received her AA from Northwest Florida in 2019 and graduated with her Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Florida State University in May 2023, with a research concentration and focus on grief and the young and widowed population. She holds certifications for Youth Mental Health First Aid and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She also created and facilitated a peer to peer support community, Widow Speak, on Facebook in 2018. Since relocating to Florida, she has worked at Sacred Heart Hospital and volunteered with Emerald Coast Hospice and Food for Thought of Walton County. Caroline completed her Master’s as Freeport Elementary’s school social worker, where she created and facilitated a children’s grief group for students in grades 1-4.

Caroline met Shayne in Nashville, TN in 2006. They spent 10 more years together, working and living in various parts of the country and starting a family with their two daughters, now in 7th and 5th grade. For Caroline, becoming a board member for Hope for Widows is an important activation in becoming a supportive agent of advocacy and change for the grieving and widowed. She is motivated by work that invites and involves the many working parts of her history and self but that is beyond her own grief and collectively impactful to the widowed community worldwide. She is hopeful this opportunity to serve this specific population can bridge her lived experience as a widowed person and the trauma-informed, clinical social work education and experience she has received since becoming widowed.

Caroline taught herself macramé and the ukulele since becoming a widow and also loves to sing, paint, and lean into the creative as a pathway to self-soothe and make progress through grief. She most enjoys nature and hiking with her daughters and partner, traveling, sunsets at the beach, cooking and baking, and most of all connecting with people who have the heart to hold nuance and the complexities of grief.

Program Volunteers

Health and Wellness

J’aime Morrison

J’aime Morrison Ph.D. is a Professor of Movement and Performance at California State University, Northridge. J’aime has worked nationally and internationally with students, actors, professionals and communities as a movement coach, dance instructor and choreographer helping individuals to develop eloquent, expressive bodies through which to communicate and heal. She holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University and she was a Dance major as an undergraduate student at UCLA. In 2010 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Portugal in the area of Theatre Movement. Recently J’aime made a short film, Upwell, as a way of processing her grief over the death of her husband Jim from brain cancer in 2015. The film has been accepted to several film festivals and won Best Cinematography from the 2020 Experimental Dance and Music Film Festival. J’aime is an Associate member of Women in Film and hopes to make her next film soon. Before the Corona-virus pandemic J’aime was scheduled to co-host a grief/surf retreat in Costa Rica in collaboration with TwoCan Retreats. The retreat is on hold, but J’aime is excited to be offering her “movement for grief” workshops for the members of Hope for Widows.

J’aime plans to lead a series of workshops for Hope for Widows Foundation that put mourning in motion through moving meditations, gentle stretching and an intuitive embodied practice. Using healing images of water – the ocean and its waves, we will engage with both the undertow – the sorrow of losing a loved one, and the upwell – the swell of emotion and promise of new energy in our lives. Grief really does come in waves and we must learn to ride them – join her as we learn to dance the waves.

This embodied approach to grief work will invite you to explore your physical and emotional experience of loss and help move you towards the expression of your experience in this non-verbal, cathartic way. These workshops are appropriate for those in any phase of the grief process and for those who want to deepen their exploration of the sea as a source of healing and transformation.

In 2009 J’aime’s husband Jim was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They welcomed their daughter Flora into the world amidst chemo treatments, radiation and surgery. Jim, a former athlete, gradually lost his ability to walk but he stayed alive long enough to see his daughter ride a bike and go on painting outings together. Even though they lived with the knowledge that Jim wouldn’t make it, his loss hit J’aime very hard and she has struggled deeply with his absence. In creating dance and film and sharing these passions with others, J’aime hopes she can make a positive contribution to this wonderful Hope Sister Community.

Shannon Biancamano

Shannon Biancamano is an entrepreneur, advocate, dedicated wife and mother of four children, aged 10 to 17. Since 2019, she has taken on the responsibility of homeschooling her three younger children, tailoring their education based on principles from “The Call of the Wild and Free” by Ainsley Arment, emphasizing the freedom and individualization in home education. Shannon’s approach focuses on the “why” rather than the “how,” particularly for her special needs and gifted learners.

In addition to their dedication to homeschooling, Shannon and her family actively participate in philanthropy, instilling the spirit of giving at the core of their family values. Taking the lead in the sunshine boxes program for the Hope for Widows Foundation holds a special place in Shannon’s heart, offering crucial support to those who have lost a loved one and may be grappling with feelings of isolation. Shannon sees this volunteer opportunity as a way to impart to her children the significance of supporting individuals at various stages of life, especially families dealing with loss. This endeavor is not only significant to her; it also allows Shannon to contribute her unique blend of creativity and crafting, considering these aspects as both strengths and passions. For Shannon, volunteering to craft sunshine boxes for the Hope for Widows Foundation is not merely a duty but an honor, seamlessly aligning with her family’s compassionate values and caring nature.

Leadership and Operations Team

Board Chair and Executive Director
Chasity Williams

Board Chair and Executive Director

Chasity Williams

Chasity enjoys volunteering, traveling, sporting events, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.

Board Member and Newsletter Chair

Melissa Peoples

Secretary and Social Media Assistant

Simone Garcia

Bookkeeper

Paula Gleicher

When asked what most people do not know about her – she shared that even though she loved going Jeeping with Joe and their friends, she was usually scared spitless!

Program Support Manager

Nadia Sheikh

Nadia Sheikh serves as the Program Support Manager, where she brings a wealth of skills in organization, communication, and strategic planning to advance our mission of empowering widows. She will play an integral role in supporting and organizing key initiatives, including the Restoring Hope and Peace Grant, the Widows of Hope 5K, the Bring Hope Holiday Assistance Program, and more. With her compassionate approach and deep understanding of the widowhood journey, Nadia is pivotal in coordinating programs that inspire, uplift, and support women at every stage of their healing process, empowering them to find hope and strength.

Blogging Community

Katherine Billings Palmer

On August 13, 2017, I lost the love of my life. Rick Palmer and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary one month before he died at age 63 of complications from treatments for small cell lung cancer. He was my partner and soulmate, the love I had been looking for and finally found at age 40.

Rick was a talented writer and web designer and, in 2002, we began our own web and print design business. We worked together building the business and enjoyed traveling, writing, and playing together. Our dream was to spend our golden years together doing more of the same, but in the ten months from diagnosis to death, that dream shattered.

After Rick’s death, I quickly realized that the enormity of his loss was too much for me to handle on my own, so I began grief therapy. I also began writing through my grief in a journal of feelings, thoughts, memories, and poetry. As I navigate my new life alone, I share my journey and my efforts towards creating my “new normal” on my personal blog: The Writing Widow. I’m also on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Layla Beth Munk

Layla Beth Monk is a blogger & author who was thrust into this widowhood journey abruptly and tragically on February 11, 2018. Her husband of 12 years had ended his pain once and for all. She soon made the decision that she would not let his final decision define the rest of her life or their daughter’s life, so with her sense of humor at the helm, she started writing about her newfound station in life. Grief waves still get to her, and probably always will, but with the help of her fellow widows as well as my friends and family, she has been able to realize her dream of becoming a published author! Layla is so grateful to Hope For Widows Foundation for providing this level of support to her, and so many others! Layla has two amazing children, one who is grown and one who is almost grown. She lives in eastern Oregon and has a wellness & beauty background. Layla enjoys writing poetry, watching anime, and homeschooling her daughter.

Her blog can be found at laylabethmunk.medium.com and her debut novella, 24 Hours in Vegas, is available on Amazon.

Nicole Jacquez

Nicole “Nikki” Jacquez started her journey in July 2020 when her husband, Jeremy, was diagnosed with stage one pancreatic cancer. Jeremy fought bravely but lost his battle in January 2021. He left behind Nikki, their daughter Mia, and countless friends and family. Becoming a widow at 29, Nikki has made it a priority to help educate and have open discussions about the unexpected in life. Nikki has made it a priority to live life to its fullest and to keep having as many adventures as she and Jeremy would have had together. Nikki is learning to live her next chapter in life and is hoping to help other widows be able to do the same.

Sonney Wolfe

Sonney Wolfe is a writer, educator, mother, nona (grandma), and widow. She holds a Master of Arts in English, teaches academic and professional writing for the University of Maryland, and writes features, press releases, blog posts, and personal essays for various news and social media.

Widowed in December of 2019, she soon joined the masses in COVID lockdowns, which deepened her understanding of grief as she witnessed widespread loss, especially among students. Now, she integrates grief support in her college classrooms by addressing pandemic disruptions, community loss, and mental health challenges. Her autobiographical teaching philosophy, born from her own grief journey, provides a platform to share her experiences and support students who have also lost loved ones.

In her professional writing, she sheds light on the human experience of loss and grief, particularly for widows. She explores the complex societal shift they face, transitioning from wives to widows and often single parents. This sudden change forces widows to navigate not only grief, but also a landslide of challenges: income loss, economic strain, relocation, career shifts, altered healthcare needs, and declining mental health.

Her Blog WIM Dispatches (Woman in Motion), https://sonneywolfe.com, chronicles her personal grief journey and advocates for the needs of widows, along with her IG: @WIM_Dispatches – and Facebook page: WIM Dispatches Life After Jay.

Teri Miner

Teri’s dance with grief actually began over five years before she watched her beloved husband of almost 37 years take his last breath and enter Heaven’s door on October 6, 2019. A terminal degenerative neurological disease steadily and increasingly attacked nearly every major system of his body and transformed him from a vibrant, brilliant, strong and caring man to a bedfast invalid at the end. She was devoted to caring for him and doing her best to make the most of every minute they had left, to love him and pray for a miracle.

She thought she knew what her future held, but she had no idea. Losing him was the first time she experienced a close and personal loss. He was the love of her life. The onslaught of the pandemic with its reign of fear-mongering, forced isolation and separation entering the scene and disrupting or destroying whatever sense of “normal” that remained, just added insult to injury.

Her faith in God is the sustaining force keeping her fighting spirit to find and share hope in a bright future. Her heart’s desire is to walk beside her fellow widows toward a path of promise and healing. She wants to offer encouragement and hope so others can find the strength to take that next breath or next step. She recently started her own blog, https://widowwhispers.blogspot.com/, to share with other widows not only the struggles and hardships of widowhood, but the triumphs. Her hope is found in leaning on the Lord Jesus to enjoy a God inspired future anchored in expectation He will bring us to a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Krystal Casey

Krystal’s own story began when she discovered the healing power of yoga, which eventually led her to open her own studio. However, her life took a dark turn when her husband was charged with sexual abuse against a minor and subsequently passed away. Despite her immense grief, Krystal knew she had to find the strength to persevere for the sake of her five children.

Through months of self-care, self-intimacy, and self-empowerment, Krystal discovered a new level of resilience and inner strength. Now, as an international best-selling author, motivational speaker, and women’s empowerment coach, she is on a mission to help other moms and widows find hope and healing in their own lives.
If you are a widow who is struggling to find hope and strength in the face of adversity, Krystal Casey is here to support you. Connect with her through https://linktr.ee/krystalcasey for resources, inspiration, and guidance on your journey to healing and empowerment. Remember, you are not alone, and there is hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Pam Williams

Pam was born and raised in Texas and is the oldest of her siblings. She has worked in education for over 15 years with the last two being a graphic design instructor.

In the spring of 2011,with both of them almost 41, lots of baggage between the two (which fondly became known as “the luggage”, Pam met her husband and soulmate Glenn and soon after they began to merge their families. The wonderful journey began but everyone always knew it had been destined.

Pam is a mom and bonus mom to five adult children (plus two wonderful son in laws), a grammy to five adventure seeking grands , and widow after Glenn passed away due to complications of a congenital heart condition on November 3, 2019.

Pam has often blogged, journaled, and spoke about all of the joys, ups and downs, and adventures of their life and has been encouraged by many to actually share with the world. She has begun a personal blog and soon will be publishing for all to enjoy.

Cheryl Barnes

Cheryl Barnes was born in Atlanta, Georgia and after several moves with her family, settled in Indianapolis, Indiana. She attended college at Indiana University Bloomington, majoring in Public and Environmental Affairs Management. While she attended college, she laid eyes on Martin “Tony” Barnes and was completely lost. They became inseparable and were married on December 24th, 1991. After five years of marriage, their first son, Malcolm, was born on New Year’s Eve, 1991. After Tony obtained his Master’s Degree in Social Work, the family moved to Orlando, Florida. Tony worked as a counselor, while Cheryl got her dream job working at Walt Disney World. Two years later, their second son, Miles, was born in July 2004. Cheryl left Disney and took a job in accounting at a property management company. Everything seemed to be going well for the family and Cheryl made plans to attend nursing school. However, in July 2011, Tony was diagnosed with end stage renal failure caused by lupus. For the next three years, Cheryl cared for her husband while taking care of the boys and working. Tony’s health deteriorated as a result of several complications until he passed away on August 29, 2014. Thus began her new journey as a widow and single parent.

Cheryl was devastated at the loss of her beloved Tony, but continued to work and care for their sons as she had before. As a way to work through her grief, she started writing, at first, only for herself. But, being encouraged by others, she began publishing her blog, “Widowness and Light.” Along with writing and being involved with several widows groups on Facebook while raising her boys, she works as a training bookkeeper at an association management company. She is also a Board Member for Black Women Widowed Empowered.

Her hobbies are reading, attending Orlando Magic games, yoga, going to the beach, and just chilling with her boys.

Dorothy Swanson

Dorothy lost her beloved husband Oct 2021 to a very unexpected bacterial pneumonia that quickly became septic shock. Her other half and best friend was born with a serious congenital heart defect. Because of that, she had always feared the possibility of being a widow, but she thought it more likely to be due to his heart, and more likely when her husband was in his 50s after the children were grown. Instead, he graduated to heaven just one week before turning 34. Dorothy was 36 with young sons ages 5 and 16 months who adored their Daddy. In less than 48 hours, the life Dorothy and her beloved husband so carefully built together shattered. They were blessed to share just over 8 wonderful, joyous and fun years of marriage. While her heart is so thankful to God for having had their journey together, she has struggled since his death with feeling hurt and let down by God. She has felt so devastated that their love story was short and ended so abruptly. Join her as she shares her unfolding journey of grasping to faith in Christ as she journeys through love, loss, single parenthood, honoring her husband’s legacy and guiding her sons through their grief and life without Daddy.

Amanda Crane

Amanda thought March 4th, 2020, would be just another normal morning until her husband, Ed, went into cardiac arrest due to his heart condition, HCM, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. There was a 1% chance of sudden death, but he passed that day. He was 40 years young, and they had been married for 14 years. One week later the world went into lockdown due to Covid, and Amanda and her two small sons, who were 9 and 11, would be left grieving during the strangest of times.

During this time, writing was the only way Amanda could cope. She wrote the manuscript The Queen of Joyful Things, which are poems about losing her husband. She is happy to be a part of the Hope for Widows community and hopes her story will help other young widows. You can visit her at: https://amcrane76.wixsite.com/www-amanda-crane-wix .

Gwen Albaugh

Gwen lost her late husband of thirteen years in 2023, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 but ultimately the cancer won. During his cancer diagnosis and treatment, her family clung to God. As much it hurt, they knew his end was coming but God was going to continue to provide. Her entire life changed the day he passed, but she knew God would provide. Over the last year, she has had to handle juggling all of the hats that her late husband would assist with. Some being the financial provider, being not only a parent but also a teacher to her two young children whom she homeschools, and handling everything else to just name a few. Widowhood is not anything she ever saw coming, but has accepted the new title along with many others and has continued to experience growth. She has said that God has provided a blanket of comfort and continues to wrap her in it, daily.

While there are challenges daily, and sometimes she feels as if she is not up for the task somehow she manages to overcome the challenges. Join her as she shares raw, emotional moments in being a widow. Community is and has meant a lot to Gwen and she wants you to know that you aren’t alone either.

Gwen finds joy in living an active lifestyle, being a part of an amazing CrossFit Community, church community and homeschool community.

Carmen Medina

Carmen is a 65-year-old widow who is living in Spain. She was born in Vancouver, B.C., Canada to Spanish parents. Since 2019 she has been living in Antequera in the south of Spain. She was married to Barrie Eggington, her soul mate and love of her life till he passed away on December 23rd, 2023, after a long battle with lung cancer.

Thanks to Hope for Widows, which she found online just a few weeks after his passing, Carmen found a group who not only understood what she was going through when few others did, but also solace in her sisters in grief, a place where she could express her feelings and find the resonance she needed.

Carmen has been an English teacher and teacher trainer for over 30 years in Europe, the Middle East and North America. She still teaches English and is the principal at the government funded language school where she is currently working. She spends her time with her daughter and grandchildren. She goes to the gym every day, loves the beach, particularly Torremolinos where she reminisces about the time she spent there with her late husband.

Robin Lowery

In May of 2018 Robin and her husband of 13 years, Rob, received the devastating news that he had stage four renal cell carcinoma. The 18-month battle ensued, often times dictating and taking over their life, including sidelining a family trip to Europe just four days before departing. But Rob’s mantra through it all was ‘Whatever it Takes’ and this helped the entire family as they faced countless hurdles and emotions. Dec. 2, 2019, Rob succumbed to his gallant fight and Robin found herself as a widow at 48 with three children.

Robin was shattered and could not imagine living life without her everything. They were as many would refer to as ‘the rom-com couple’. They laughed each and every day together. It was as if they were made for one another. Faced with two adult children (21 and 18) and one getting ready to enter her teen years, Robin was thrust into a life and a club no one asks for nor wants to be a part of.

Cassie Dockter-Reeves

Cassie Dockter-Reeves struggled to write this bio. Who is she now that her husband died? Sometimes she doesn’t know anymore. She is the mother of sweet Everest, her (currently) 15 month old. She is the Mutti to kind Jude, her almost 9-year-old stepson. She is the little sister to 2 awesome older sisters and 2 brother-in-laws. She is the aunt to 2 wonderful nephews and 1 amazing niece. She is the daughter to 2 loving parents who they are lucky to still have. She is the friend that is like family to several. But her favorite thing was being loved by Jonathan, she was most proud of (along with the role of mother) being his wife. His loving her helped her love herself. She doesn’t really know who who she is anymore as she has changed so much since her husband’s death, and it’s too fresh to know, it’s only been 4 months.

Cassie works a full-time remote job as a workforce management analyst. She loves photography and whales and the ocean and the mountains and has recently found the love of reading again. She has the most anxious dog who started her life as a stray and is a mutt (11 breeds in all, yes, she DNA tested her), named Livie after Olivia Benson on Law & Order SVU, because her husband knew her love of that character. They were together 6 years; were a family of 3 with his son Jude for 5 years; a family of 4 eight months after that when we adopted our dog; married in Cannon Beach, OR on July 26, 2021 (yes, because of The Goonies – Jonathan’s ring is engraved with GNSD – Goonies Never Say Die); and became a family of 5 with the unexpected early birth of their son, Everest, on March 24, 2023, who moved mountains to be here after infertility and a high risk pregnancy.

She is a newly single mom, and it’s challenging and rewarding and exhilarating and exhausting. She wasn’t supposed to do this alone. Her husband died from his bipolar disorder with psychosis at the age of 40 on February 29, 2024. And they are slowly learning to live again as a (smaller) family.

You can fine her photography on Instagram @photographybycasandradockter

Diana Henderson

Diana’s heart was shattered on May 6, 2022, when a reckless driver took the life of her husband, Monty, while walking across the street to go to work. Even though they were married for a mere seven years, Monty was her soulmate, best friend, true love, and entire life. They had been friends since 2008 and became one in 2014. The pain was crushing and intense. The future they planned of retirement and “happily ever after” was abruptly brought to an end. And so began the horrible roller coaster ride called Grief along with the new label of Widow.

By God’s grace and with the support of her family and close friends, she has continued to live moment by moment and day by day. She strives to put together the pieces of her shattered heart, knowing that it will never be the same but that it is still capable of love. Through praying, journaling, counseling, and meditating she works through the many phases of grief over and over again. Her hope is that the pain will permanently soften. She will continue to move forward by honoring Monty’s love and memories and becoming the new Diana that Monty will help to create.

Cindy Schriver

In 2011, Cindy lost her husband of 16 years to a rare form of cancer after a long and hard-fought battle. Left behind in the whirlwind of grief with three
adolescent children, Cindy had to learn to find herself again and how to help herself and her children through the journey of grief. Knowing she had
to become the sole provider for her family, Cindy returned to college at 38, earning a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a master’s degree in
Adult Education. Cindy is currently pursuing her Doctorate and is constantly looking for new experiences.