Spring is Coming!
Evergreen Angel Sale until Thursday,
March 21, 2024
Your Stories ...
KATHY BOATMAN
Kathy wears 2005’s “Elizabeth” in memory of her daughter, Heather, who died in a plane crash that year. “At the time, the Angel helped me remember that life goes on,” Kathy says. “It continues to remind me of the importance of faith, family, and friends—and that’s what Heather would have wanted.” Kathy had her limited-version Angel made with both her and Heather’s birthstones. It is set off by a gorgeous beaded chain handcrafted especially for Kathy by artist Beth Lindsay.
MARCIA BLOUNT
“I once dated a guy who gave me the Evergreen Angel every Mother’s Day. The guy’s long gone, but I still collect the Angels!” Marcia donates generously to Mount Evans Hospice, and she feels this is one more way she can show her support.
JOELLA BORCHETT
Joella has been collecting Evergreen Angels since the 1990s; she bought them for herself and for her mother. When her father died, her mother bought gold Angels for Joella and her sisters – and now they all wear the Angels in memory of their dad.
SUZANNE HANFIELD
Suzanne came to the Angel Tea 20 years ago with a friend, traveling all the way from Highlands Ranch. She started a collection for both her mother and herself, and she enjoys wearing the pendant and matching earrings on special occasions. The Angels became especially meaningful during the time Suzanne’s mother was receiving treatment for breast cancer. “I’ll never miss an Angel,” Suzanne says. “I can’t wait every year to see the new one!”
NANCY HIESTER
“The Evergreen Angel is meaningful to me in so many ways; it’s especially symbolic of the work Mount Evans Hospice does in our community,” Nancy says. “You frequently hear from people that the nurses and other staff members who cared for their loved one were ‘angels,’ so it’s very fitting that the lovely Evergreen Angels help support Mount Evans’ service to our neighbors.”
CARMEN JULSETH
Carmen started collecting Evergreen Angels in 1995. Her favorite is Melissa, from 2014; that’s the year her husband died, and she wears Melissa in his memory. She is excited about this year’s Angel, because she has a beloved niece named Olivia. She’ll be sending Olivia her namesake Angel for Christmas!
JEAN MAI
Before she retired, Jean worked as a nurse at an infusion center. One of her patients was wearing several Evergreen Angels on a necklace, and Jean, who loves angels in all forms, fell in love and started collecting them herself.
ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth has been collecting Evergreen Angels for 15 years. “It’s such a beautiful way to support the wonderful services Mount Evans Hospice brings to our community,” she says. “And it’s become my birthday present to myself every year!”
KATHLEEN PHILLIPS
Kathleen has been collecting the Evergreen Angels for six years. Here favorite Angel is Margaret (1999). “After my adoptive parents died, I searched for my birth mother,” Kathleen says. “When I was 63 I found her, and we were reunited. Her name is Margaret.”
MELANIE RAWLINSON
Several years ago, a friend from church gave Melanie an Angel for her birthday. Melanie loved her Evergreen Angel, and decided to learn more about the collection. She was amazed to find that three consecutive Angels—2004 through 2006—shared the names of her grandmother (Sophie), her mother and daughter (Elizabeth), and her great-grandmother (Ella). She strongly felt that they held a special significance in her life, and has collected them ever since.
DEBBIE SCHWARTZ
Debbie is the receptionist at Mount Evans Hospice. On her last birthday, the Mount Evans staff gave her the 2004 Evergreen Angel to honor the memory of her daughter Jackie, who died that year. The limited-version Angel is cradling an aquamarine, Jackie’s birthstone.
SUSAN SHARNAS
Susan started collecting the Evergreen Angels when they first started in 1993 as a way to support Mount Evans Hospice. In addition to her personal collection, she gives them as gifts to friends and family members who are in need of a reminder that they are love and supported. “I gave it to a friend whose son was diagnosed with cancer, and she told me ‘I hold it and pray every day.’ I have given them to many other people over the years, and more often than not when I see them they are wearing their Angel.”
SUSAN STEARNS
Susan had all the Evergreen Angels! A longtime supporter of Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice, Susan needed their services herself this past year as she was recovering from a serious infection. “I’ve always heard it, but I know it firsthand now,” she says. “Mount Evans field staff truly are angels, and the Evergreen Angel epitomizes that quality.” We were so incredibly fortunate to have had Susan’s giving spirit as part of Mount Evans for more than 25 years and honored to have taken care of her in her time of greatest need as she was fighting ovarian cancer. Susan lost her fight January 29, 2021. Her legacy lives on through everyone she touched with her kindness and generosity, and her story will live on to inspire even those who didn’t have the privilege of knowing her.
Read more about the Susan Stearns Legacy Circle.
JAN THULIN
Jan has collected every one of the Evergreen Angels! She was involved with Mount Evans Hospice in 1993 when the creator of the Angels, Virginia Haley, approached Mount Evans about being the beneficiary of proceeds from Angel sales. “I thought it was a great idea!” Jan says, and she’s added an Angel to her collection every year since. “I’ve bought them as teacher gifts, graduation gifts, ‘in memory’ gifts, and as ‘I love you’ gifts for my three daughters-in-law.” She adds, “I love this way of supporting hospice. As a gift, the Angel expresses so many emotions that we can’t put into words.”
Jennie McCleskey writes:
I am a Hospice nurse. Angels are with us during rough times and good times; they bring peace and protection. I see this so much through my own life, and my work. The Evergreen Angels have a very special meaning to me, as I know they do for so many. Here is my story: I am blessed to have four angel granddaughters and one angel grandson, who is the oldest. Sophie, my granddaughter was born premature, at a pound, and she lived. She had to have a trach for many years and has mild cerebral palsy, but she is a fighter. Last year her trach was closed, and she runs—she is a true miracle, she has never had to be in a wheelchair. Another granddaughter, Olivia, is Sophie's sister. I'm waiting for my other two granddaughters to get Evergreen Angels—their names are Madison and McKenzie. Even a big brother Angel named Hunter. They live in Louisiana, except for McKenzie.