Mothers on Earth, Angels in Heaven
Told by Jennifer Braddock, Barbara Greene, Kathy Mann, Kristina Miller, and Dee Taylor Written by Laurie Grobman
Deb Zimmerman, Founder
People tell them time will heal them. Or that they are fortunate to have another child or children. Or that they need to get back to their life. Or that they should be over it by now. Or that they need to move on.
That’s why Jennifer Braddock, Barbara Greene, Kristina Miller, and Dee Taylor, who lost children to violence, and Kathy Mann, who lost her son in a car accident, turn to one another in Mothers on Earth, Angels in Heaven, a monthly support group for mothers in Reading and Berks County who have lost a child or children through any means, whether violence, illness, or accidents. Mothers on Earth, Angels in Heaven provides them a “judge free zone,” because “only those who have walked in [their] shoes understand the emotional, debilitating, and terrifying issues [they] deal with on a daily basis.”
The group began forming in 2013, just over a year after Barbara’s son, Alexander Stewart, was murdered in Reading. Barbara’s therapist, Linda, asked Barbara to meet Michelle, a mother who also lost her son to murder. Michelle had heard Barbara speak about her son at a violence awareness event at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts and wanted to meet Barbara. Seeing how much help Barbara was to Michelle, Linda recommended that Barbara and Deb Zimmerman, whose two children were killed in a house fire, start a group for grieving mothers. Mothers on Earth, Angels in Heaven was born.
Kathy, who lost her 33-year-old son, Ryan, in a tragic car accident, joined next. Dee, whose daughter Venus was murdered in 2004, came after; she and Deb had already been friends. The group of women obtained nonprofit status in 2017 and continue still today to advocate
for grieving mothers. Kristina joined the group after her son, Donavin, was beaten to death near the Reading Pagoda. Kathy met Jennifer Braddock, whose son Nicholas Cumer was killed in a mass shooting in 2019. After years of receiving emotional and other support from Kathy, Jennifer attended her first meeting of the group in October 2023.
The mission of “Mothers on Earth, Angels in Heaven” is to support and assist one another in the journey of grieving. These mothers share their pain, offer loving support, refer a mother to a grief counselor as needed, and stand by one another through the legal process. They hold one another’s hands, honor their children, and do not put a timeline on the grieving process. They cry together. In Kristina’s words, “we all appreciate that each meeting is based around on our feelings and what we need to talk about. We don’t push religion. We don’t push anything on anybody. It’s an open group, and mostly we just discuss what we feel we need to talk about each time we gather.”
It’s also very important to these women that they have fun together. They “laugh like crazy, which you’d think we couldn’t laugh, but we do.” One of their best times together was at their first yearly retreat to a cabin-like Bed and Breakfast in Christiana, PA, a beautiful place with a kitchen and fireplace. While Deb was trying to lead a serious meeting, Kathy’s attention was drawn out the window to a group of sheep chasing and trying to attack each other. Deb got a bit annoyed with Kathy, until Kathy told everyone to look out the window. They all “busted out laughing.”
Jennifer, Barbara, Kathy, Kristina, and Dee want others to know about their group so that other mothers experiencing the searing pain of losing a child will find them. No matter where you are on your journey, you are welcome. They also want everyone to be aware of the devastating toll of violence on families and family members.
The Mothers on Earth, Angels in Heaven women also want to inform those of us who have never experienced the loss of a child to refrain from telling a grieving mother who has lost a child that time will heal them. Or that they are fortunate to have another child or children. Or that they need to get back to their life. Or that they should be over it by now. Or that they need to move on. Instead, tell them “I am sorry for your loss” or “I am here for you.” Because that is all there really is to say.