Friday, May 10, 2002 | 2:36 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION: May 12, 2002
Nine women recently were honored as Clark County Mothers of the Year in several categories.
Mayor Oscar Goodman presented the awards at the 32nd annual Mother of the Year awards ceremony at the Gold Coast. Entertainment was provided by comedic magician Mac King and the emcee was Paula Francis, news anchor for KLAS Channel 8.
The Clark County Mother of the Year Awards Committee is a nonprofit group of community-minded people dedicated to honoring "the unsung heroes" -- mothers. Chairwoman of the committee is Sandy Thompson, vice president and associate editor of the Las Vegas Sun.
The honorees were chosen from letters submitted by families, friends, colleagues and organizations. Excerpts from the letters follow:
Edith "Susie" Burris
Inspirational Mother of the Year
Edith "Susie" Burris is the mother of seven, grandmother of 28 and great-grandmother of 39.
Her children say she instilled in them strength and sincerity. Her son Jerry says his mother never stepped away from a hard decision and was always there to coax, cajole, inspire, push that extra step, understand and trust her children.
Her children are successful in their own right today. Jerry says that in spite of their meager beginnings, he and his brothers and sisters overcame every obstacle they confronted.
Burris was married at 16 in 1933 when "jobs were few and values, morals and character were considered important." She worked hard for her children on the family farm in Montana, making their clothes, as well as birthday and holiday gifts.
The family moved to California, where Burris and her husband opened The Blue Onion, a fast-food stand across from Universal Studios that regularly served movie stars. After 18 years of marriage, Burris and her husband divorced. She raised six children herself while working as a caterer in the Universal Studios food services department.
Burris remarried in 1953 and had another daughter. After almost 48 years of marriage, her husband died last year.
Her children say Burris was the glue, the arbiter, the inspiration, teacher and loving symbol of all that was good. They say she has the strength and grace that bring to all who know her a sense of motherly wisdom.
Rosanna Herrera Garcia
Motivational Mother of the Year
Rosanna Herrera Garcia is the mother of six children.
Despite poverty and hardships, she put herself through college and is a teacher and an adjunct faculty member at Community College of Southern Nevada.
A colleague describes her as soft-spoken, articulate, well-read and inquisitive. Her students admire her, and she cares deeply about their success. Thanks to her hard work with, and confidence in, her two youngest children, they have succeeded in school beyond expectations.
She also has cared for other children as if they were her own.
Garcia also is concerned about community issues, particularly those affecting American Indians.
Catherine Gibbs
Volunteer Mother of the Year
Catherine Gibbs is the mother of 13- and 11-year-old daughters.
She is a voracious reader and has helped her daughters develop a joy of reading. They read contemporary books as well as the classics.
Gibbs is active in her daughters' school activities and has volunteered to help with school and orchestra fund-raisers. Her husband, David, says she never declines when asked to pitch in at school.
Gibbs is the founder of a local book club, where members select a book to read each month and then meet to discuss it.
Gibbs has been involved in many Nellis Air Force Base activities supporting troops deployed overseas or performing extra security duties. She is a member of the National Military Family Association, which lobbies Congress, business leaders and senior Defense Department leaders on behalf of military families. She is the parliamentarian of the Nellis Air Force Base Officers' Spouses Club.
Michele Laws
Humanitarian Mother of the Year
Michele Laws believes children are not disposable. She was a Court-Appointed Special Advocate before becoming a foster parent and then an adoptive parent.
Laws and her husband, John, have adopted 10 children and are in the process of adopting four more. That number does not include the children they cared for as foster parents throughout the years.
Having come from a large family, Laws says she likes to cook large amounts and enjoys being surrounded by children. The first children she adopted were four young brothers. Once you have four children, it doesn't matter if you have 16 or 20, she says. "You just do what you have to do. You don't even think about it."
She staunchly advocates for her foster children, making sure all their needs are met. She also assists in family reunifications wherever possible. If that's not possible, Laws helps find permanency for the children, often by adopting them herself.
A colleague says Laws has tremendous perseverance and is the most committed parent she knows.
Virginia Lewison
Supportive Mother of the Year
Virginia Lewison, who was born in the Philippines, was attending a university in Manila when she had an opportunity to come to America on a working visa. At 22, she knew she had to do this to support her family.
She worked as a dealer at the Union Plaza, which is where she met her husband. They were married in 1979.
Her daughter, Rachel, says her parents had to work, but made sacrifices to care for her and her brother. Lewison would work in the daytime; her husband took the night shift.
Rachel says her parents taught their children about responsibility and provided her with everything she needed.
It has been difficult for Lewison to be away from her family in the Philippines. Her mother and her twin brother died, and her sister suffered a stroke. It was always Lewison's wish that they could become American citizens.
Rachel says her mother has been through ups and downs, but she still manages to stay on top.
Luzanne Lucas
Encouraging Mother of the Year
Luzanne Lucas is the mother of two daughters.
Her daughter, Paula, says that it wasn't until she became a mother herself that she was able to fully realize and appreciate the tremendous amount of effort, fortitude, sacrifice and true love her mother gave Paula and her sister.
Lucas attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and was one of the first female air traffic controllers in the Navy at North Island in Coronado, Calif.
When the girls were young, Lucas baked breads, cookies and pies from scratch. She sewed the girls' clothes, even their coats. When Paula was 5, Lucas divorced her husband and raised Paula and her sister on her own. She worked to set an example for the girls.
The family moved to Las Vegas in 1970. Lucas started her own business, which led to second and third ventures in which she did respectably well, Paula says. Lucas wrote a book, "A Sweet Breath of Life," which is an inspiring salute to one's spirit.
Paula says she is amazed by her mother's ingenuity, grace and perseverance. "In the face of so many of life's adversities, my mother has not only persisted, but prevailed," Paula says.
Lola Bowman Stiborek
Exemplary Mother of the Year
Lola Bowman Stiborek is described as the family's anchor and lighthouse who helped her children navigate through life.
She is the mother of four daughters and one son. She has 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and recently stretched her life to include a family of four who needed her.
Stiborek has been a gardener all her life, growing fruits, vegetables, trees and berries. She also has raised chickens, quail and doves. At 78 she tends a 5-acre garden, the bounty of which she shares with others. Her family says she has an incredible work ethic. She is the sixth of 11 children who grew up on the family farm in Logandale.
In 1945 she married a sergeant at Nellis Air Force Base, a marriage that lasted 45 years, until his death in 1989. When her husband was diagnosed with cancer, doctors gave him four months to live. Stiborek's care, coupled with the great love they had for each other, kept her father alive four years, Evelyn says.
As Stiborek's oldest daughters were graduating from high school, she received her bachelor's degree in teaching. But she was passed over for jobs given to younger women. That did not make her bitter, Evelyn says. Stiborek instead took a job with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, working with needy families.
Stiborek instilled in her children the importance of education. All five children graduated from college and three obtained advanced degrees in law, business and education. Daughter Marilyn says Stiborek always opened her home to her children and grandchildren's friends, homeless friends, friends who were abused or disowned by their families and seniors who were unable to remain on their own. They would stay a few hours, the weekend or months on end.
Daughter Rebecca says Stiborek has given her children the gifts of compassion, wisdom, practicality, patience, an appreciation for hard work and consistency -- and a commitment to do the right thing.
Susie Villanueva
Education Mother of the Year
Susie Villanueva is the mother of six daughters, a fact she proudly displays on her license plate: "6DAUTRS."
Her daughter, Laura, says Villanueva often raised the girls alone while her husband was on military duty, despite many hardships.
Villanueva is a physical education teacher and coaches after-school sports. She helps with volleyball, softball, golf, tennis, soccer, cross country, basketball and table tennis. She has been taking classes at Community College of Southern Nevada, working toward a degree in elementary education.
Laura says her mother made a difference in the lives of her students. She also encouraged her daughters to excel in school.
Laura says she has learned much from her mother such as unconditional love for family and a concern for others.
Tami Waring
Military Mother of the Year
Her husband, Houstoun, says Tami Waring has the amazing ability to bring peace and contentment to their home despite the many demands on her time.
Waring is the mother of eight, ranging in age from 13 years to 8 months. She leads her children through the daily tasks, ranging from laundry to preparing meals and gardening. A visitor to Waring's home would hear the sounds of math being explained, followed by a history reading. Her husband says Waring expertly guides homework so that each age level has her attention at the right time.
Waring also volunteers to coordinate or lead school field trips and physical education days.
Waring and her husband have taught a chapel Sunday school class on marriage intimacy and are teaching one on child training. They host gatherings in their home for members of the Christian Military Fellowship and the Officers Christian Fellowship.
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