A Memorial Bench for Betty at Brookgreen Gardens

Sweet friends and family-

We have been so humbled by the outpouring of love after the passing of our sweet Betty this past summer. It has been a heartbreaking journey, but one full of lessons and reminders of the incredible life left behind.

There is peace, however, in knowing that the frustration and suffering Betty was experiencing due to Parkinson's is at an end. While she was alive, my main goal for Betty was finding her some peace from the symptoms of the disease. Laughter, silliness, music, and dancing always helped, but going to Brookgreen Gardens was first on the list—and always our favorite thing to do together. We would stroll the gardens, and I could always sense that she was most like her unaffected self after spending some time with the birds, flowers, and trees. While at Brookgreen, things made sense to her again. With that sentiment, we are hoping to install a permanent bench on the grounds at Brookgreen—a place where we can come to be with Betty and find some peace.

We have already had a handful of donations made directly to the gardens, and we continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our family and friends. I am hoping to include all who donate in a dedication ceremony when the bench is installed.

Betty's connection to the natural world was of a caliber I often couldn't fathom. She could grow anything (her Dragon-Wing Begonias were a marvel), and she knew the scientific names of everything we came across on our walks together. To have a place to be with her, to know that her memory will live on in a place that meant so much to us is truly special. Thank you.

Haydn Haring