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| Herb Stocker is pictured with some of the Boyd bears he donated to State of the Heart. |
Mary Jane (Janie) Stocker was cared for by State of the Heart Hospice weeks before she passed away this summer. For many years, she and her sisters had collected Boyd Bears. Following her death, her husband heard about State of the Heart’s annual camp for grieving children called Camp BEARable. He thought the bears could be used in grief support for children, so donated them to the nonprofit agency.
“She would be so happy to know that her bears are going to a cause that can help kids,” said Stocker, of Greenville. Several large bags containing the bears were brought to the agency. According to Ryan Gathard, Fund Development Director for State of the Heart, the bears will be used by staff when working with kids’ grief groups. State of the Heart provides free grief support to both adults and to children.
Stocker said his wife began collecting the bears many years ago. Their house, he said, “was filled with them.” His wife passed away in their home with the bears displayed on shelves surrounding her bed, he said.
He was grateful to State of the Heart for the care they provided his wife, he said. “I don’t know how I could have gotten through it all without them.” He was especially thankful he said when he needed assistance with his wife at 3 a.m. one night. “I called State of the Heart and they came right away to help me,” he said.
State of the Heart Hospice, with offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland, provides care to patients and families in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. For more information about the agency, visit the web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.