The impact Clare resident, Kathy Rynearson left on her community was so strong that her hometown dedicated Nov. 22 as “Kathy Rynearson Day.”
Rynearson passed away suddenly from a stroke at the Grand Rapids BioLife center, where she had been training new employees.
Rynearson was a medical supervisor at Mount Pleasant’s BioLife center since its opening in December 2003.
Her friendly demeanor and contagious smile welcomed every person that walked through the doors.
“Kathy would take my pulse manually because I get nervous easily and she always calmed me down,” donor Kristi Kauppi said. “I haven’t donated plasma since I found out what happened.”
The center manager broke the sad news separately to each employee in her office. Rynearson’s death was a shock to all of her co-workers and those that needed to leave work early were allowed to.
Everyone spoke highly about her and said she always went out of her way for others. Close friends described her as “one of a kind” and very dedicated to her job.
Rynearson was referred to as “Big Mama” or “Mom” and had nicknames for everyone she worked with as well. She was known for always making work fun.
Her employees immediately felt something missing without her presence and knew that BioLife would never be the same.
A memorial for Rynearson was displayed at the front desk, which included pictures and a poem.
“Her big smile in that picture showed what a great person she was,” said donor Jillian Kauppi. “The poem was really touching and brought tears to my eyes.”
Rynearson’s smile will never be forgotten and her positive attitude will always be remembered.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment