Editor's Eye

In Memory: Loss Is an Uninvited Fact of Life

Dealing with death is not something I take kindly to, but it's not like we are given a choice.

  I'm going to start this out with the disclaimer that this is not one of my happiest columns, though — in considering it to be about the celebration of life — perhaps it should be. This story starts out with a puppy face; not from a pouty child trying to get his or her way but rather with an actual puppy. A soft-coated wheaton terrior, to be exact, and the central focus of a recent tragedy brought upon my family. Wynie was a family dog that entered our lives about five years ago. She was just so cute at the pet store that my parents spent their "discretionary" dollars on adding a member to the family rather than purchasing a new window to replace the one that has needed replacing since we moved to my childhood home. That, was Wynie. Now, …

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Lyssa Beyer

11:03 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012

@Annie ... Nope, I see your picture, it's in the right place ... thanks for adding it! Cute kitty!!! It is really hard to see them go, I absolutely hate it! There's a relationship/bond that's unique with each one. Here's to Kali, too!   more ›

Grafton Parents Thank Port Schools for Support

Attendees at the Pirates vs. Black Hawks game at Port Washington High School on Friday night set aside rivalries in order to remember deceased Grafton player.

In its first game since the death of teammate Josh Davis-Joiner, the Grafton boys basketball team was met on Friday with support rather than the typical rivalry that fills the Port Washington High School gymnasium when the two teams meet. In memory of the 17-year-old Grafton High School senior, who died during basketball practice Jan. 16, the Port Washington audience showed up dressed in the competitor's color: orange. "We've been really pleased with how Port Washington supported us during that game," Grafton High School Principal Ken McCormick said. "That game was only part of what was going on that night so it was very nice to see both of those communities supporting the young men out there." Port Washington High School Principal Eric …

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Community Invited to Light Candle in Honor of Someone Who's Died

Port resident Pat Morrissey, also founder of Mourning Cloak — a group that helps kids cope with grief — is organizing a free candle light service on Sunday.

While for many the holidays are a time of joy and togetherness, there are many others are left dealing with extreme loss and wishing January would just come faster. That's the case for many of the children and teenagers that Pat Morrissey works with. Morrissey is the founder of Mourning Cloak in Port Washington, a nonprofit organization that helps Ozaukee County children and families cope with grief. Morrissey is now inviting community members to join her group on Sunday evening, when they meet to partake in a worldwide candlelight ceremony that is meant to remember the life of somebody who died at any age, and any number of years ago. "There aren’t many places in Wisconsin that are doing this," Morrissey said, adding that the closest …

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Attorney at Large

Death is Inevitable, Having a Will Makes it Easier

We collect a lot of stuff in our lives, and what happens to it when we're gone should be a decision made by us, not the state.

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple computers, has been quoted as saying "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important." As a life tool, such thoughts can be very motivating. But, they also remind us that life goes on, even without us. Seeing as how we are generally good at collecting lots of things, that can leave a little bit of a problem. What should be done with our stuff? With a little thought and preplanning, we can answer that question ourselves so our families and …

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Home Port

What Did Dad Teach Me? Leave Laughing

Some people are humorless about death, and some people are just plain humorless — but, thanks to this Patch columnist's dad, he's neither.

There was a guy in my office the other day. He was chatting with a co-worker when the conversation turned to his tattoo. "Your tattoo is so bright," my office mate commented. "I had it re-colored," he replied. "Where did you go?" came a question. "I used to go to Ernie in Wauwatosa, but he died, so I went to someone else." "Was it Hepatitus B," I asked. I'm not a fan of ink and other toxic substances being injected into the dermal layer — I seized the opportunity to editorialize.  The guy chuckled, then replied, "Cancer." This morning another staff member, an older woman who doesn’t seem to like me very much, got in my face for making jokes about her dearly departed friend, the tattoo artist.  "He was a veteran and you accused him of …

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Dealing With Death Focus of New Group

Mourning Cloak offers peer support groups for kids and adults who have experienced the death of a loved one.

New to Port Washington, Pat Morrissey moved to the city to help community members in a different way: to cope with death. "It's very difficult when parents lose a child or if it's an untimely death of a parent, but part of what happens is that life goes on, and my job is to help families cope and to be able to go forward," Morrissey said. Morrissey is launching a volunteer-driven program called "Mourning Cloak." The volunteers facilitate peer support group sessions with children and teens who are dealing with or facing an inevitable death of a loved one. The Mourning Cloak office will be inside the Shoppes of Port Washington, 211 N. Franklin St., Port Washington. While the group will primarily help children, who Morrissey said are the "…

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Lyssa Beyer

12:45 pm on Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Thank you, Pat — I apologize for leaving that information out initially, but I did also add the phone number to the story. Good luck, I hope you find plenty of volunteers!   more ›