Friday, May 7, 2004 | 5:27 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION
May 8 - 9, 2004
Twelve women were honored last week as Clark County Mothers of the Year by the Clark County Mother of the Year Awards Committee, a nonprofit group of community-minded people dedicated to honoring the "unsung heroes" -- mothers.
The honorees were nominated by friends, family members and colleagues, who noted their dedication and giving natures. Here are their stories.
Inspirational Mother
ESTELA AGUIRRE
Estela Aguirre faced the bleakest night of her life 10 years ago, when her marriage ended in divorce. She prayed all that night, asking God to be a father to her four young boys.
At the time, the children were too young to realize what was happening, but when she assured them that everything would be all right, they believed her.
Over the past 10 years, Aguirre has struggled to make ends meet. She worked as a guest room attendant at a major hotel for long hours. No matter how exhausted she was, she always had a smile for her boys when she came home. She kept the family together through thick and thin and learned English on her own, conquering that barrier as she had conquered all the rest.
The oldest boy graduated high school with high honors. Today, when her son Sammy, who nominated her, faces difficulty in his own life, he remembers all that his mother went through, praises God and gets through it.
Encouraging Mother
MARSHA FOREMAN
Marsha Foreman was nominated by a colleague who has seen her selfless devotion as she works as an aide in a classroom of children with severe mental and physical disabilities. The work is draining, but Foreman keeps a positive attitude in the face of the exhausting work and her own health problems.
Recently, after the death of one student, Foreman organized a drive to plant a tree in the child's memory and raised money to dedicate a plaque. It helped many at the school grieve the loss of the child.
Foreman raised her own seven children alone. Two have gone on to head their own households, and she now raises four adopted children, one of whom has special needs.
Despite her problems with diabetes and failing eyesight, Foreman rises at 5 a.m. to take advantage of sales to provide her kids with delicious meals, which she often shares with the class.
Her colleague writes, "No child has ever been turned away from her door." And, he says, she is a "selfless, remarkable, charming lady with contagious enthusiasm."
Humanitarian Mother
FRANCES HAO
Frances Hao became an advocate for her disabled child and in doing so became an "eloquent voice" for many in our community.
Hao has seven children and 13 grandchildren. On top of the many duties required in such a large family, she also dedicates herself to finding help for her daughter Naomi.
Hao has had to carry on without her husband's help since 1999, when he suffered a stroke. Her challenges multiplied when she was hospitalized and lost a leg.
Naomi was born in 1977 with Rett Syndrome, which left her severely intellectually disabled, unable to walk or talk. She needs 24-hour care. Her mother is there for her, never complaining.
In fact, she has taken her care to others, being instrumental in the success of Project PRIDE, a program for young people with profound disabilities under the umbrella of Opportunity Village.
The staff at Opportunity Village nominated Hao for this award, saying she is the "perfect example of motherhood: loving, determined, unshakeable, and capable of overcoming great odds to give her children the best this life offers."
Courageous Mother
CHERYL POULSEN
Cheryl Poulsen has faced more sadness and heartbreak, illness and death than a person should in several lifetimes. Yet she remains optimistic and encourages her children to rise above their challenges.
Poulsen was tested the first time when her fiance and "first love" died of cancer. When she fell in love again and married her husband, Richard, bliss was short-lived. The couple's 1-year-old son died in an accident and her husband died nine years ago. Another son died of a heart attack just weeks before he would have graduated high school.
But Poulsen's greatest challenge is taking care of her disabled daughter Julie, who, with her mother's constant care, is now 27 years old, an age few thought she would reach. But spinal meningitis has taken its toll on Julie. Her mother now feeds her by hand, bathes her, carries her and lifts her 77-pound frame, day in and day out, and she never takes help or relief. Like any mother, all she wants is for her daughter to be healthy enough to be cared for at home.
Poulsen also finds time to help girls in her church learn cooking and other skills, all of which has made her famous for her chocolates and her haircuts.
Enduring Mother
EVELYN MAGNO
Evelyn Magno's positive outlook was most recently summed up by her daughter, who says her mother instilled in her a positive outlook on life, despite many hardships. This woman raised five children in the Philippines while her husband was away in the United States. But the difficulties of Magno's life were always secondary to the needs of her family.
Her days were filled with hard work, and at night she helped with homework and inspired her daughter's love of education. Magno placed great importance on academic achievement, but also made sure to teach her children social and domestic skills as well.
Her daughter often saw the look of exhaustion on her mother's face, as she endured the work and endless duties of raising five children. Still, Magno never let her own sorrow pass on to her children. Her daughter says her mother's tired arms were always open to cradle her children and calm their tears.
Magno instilled courtesy and hard work as values to cherish and uphold.
Her daughter writes, "My mother taught me almost everything I know," and her honesty and friendship has rubbed off on her.
Education Mother
SUZANNE ROTHERMEL
Suzanne Rothermel's motto could be, "It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice."
One of her daughters says she is not only a wonderful mother, but a psychologist, mentor, educator, mediator, caregiver, confidante and friend.
Rothermel teaches by example to her children. She also is literally a teacher, and some of her nominating letters came from other women whose children have been her students at Wasden Elementary School. She is dedicated to the importance of early education and lifelong learning.
One woman says, "She has a beautiful gift of knowing people's hearts and bringing out the best in everyone."
Her friends also recall one year when Rothermel celebrated Thanksgiving in her classroom with turkey and all the trimmings. Her classroom is a haven for kids whose lives are strained in this world of "dual-income families and single parents," according to one friend.
She teaches her schoolchildren and her own children that, quoting her daughter, "life's fundamentals remain true and sacred in this high-speed universe."
Motivational Mother
KAREN GUBLER
Karen Gubler has been changing diapers for 20 years.
Through it all she has motivated her nine children to be the best citizens and friends they can be. Her children valued the fact that she stayed at home to care for them, and they say they were the envy of many friends because of all she did.
Sundays were a special day in Gubler's household, her children said in nominating her. Church was an occasion and an inspiration. Dinner was fancy, the only night for that, and almost always included someone who needed a good meal and the companionship of a big family.
Without preaching, Gubler instilled solid values in all her children. She did it by example, her children said. She was good to everyone and believed the best way to handle enemies is to make them your friend. She baked bread for the mailman, cookies for the crossing guard and always walked the kids to school, watching over them as they went the last block alone.
The honor is a bit of an embarrassment, her children said, noting that Gubler probably would say, "Oh pish posh," as she usually does when deflecting praise.
Community Service Mother
MAUREEN MORLEY
Maureen Morley was called "an unsung hero" for her devotion to Opportunity Village over the last 30 years.
Morley and her husband, Frank, opened their home to seven foster children over three decades. They chose special needs children with extreme physical and emotional needs. Their first baby was almost "un- placeable" due to his emotional needs, but today he is a successful entrepreneur and family man.
Their greatest challenge was a child who had been confined to a basement for all her young life. She went from home to home until finding this woman and her husband. They adopted her, and today the woman is married, a mom and a paramedic in the Army.
Morley's devotion to her adopted and foster children supersedes her own needs. She suffers with painful joints, yet ferries the children to and from countless doctors' appointments and other needs.
One child, Theresa, needed more than this woman and her husband could provide and is now a client at Opportunity Village. That has inspired the Morleys to devote more than 3,000 volunteer hours there.
Endearing Mother
LOUISE CARROLL
On any given Sunday Louise Carroll is likely to be found sitting in the center row of Pew No. 7 at Victory Baptist Church, listening to four of her daughters, one daughter-in-law and granddaughter singing in the choir.
Carroll's faith lifted her as she raised 12 children and four grandchildren. She never uses a harsh word with the children, yet she enforces discipline by teaching them respect. She is a rock, according to her daughter-in-law, who nominated her. She provided the love and stability in their home.
When she was stricken with cancer, her husband, Bo, told their children that if she died before he did, he could not go on living. But she survived the cancer, only to lose her husband of 50 years in a car accident.
After his death, Carroll said she had to "move on with renewed energy" because he would want her to. At 75, she opens her home to the neighborhood, bakes seven cakes and a big meal at Christmas.
Exemplary Mother
CHRISTENE REYNOLDS
The success of Christene Reynolds' nine children speaks to her success as a mother. One of her eight sons says she taught her children how to live a good life and serve the community. They have all excelled in school, at church and at work.
Reynolds was a presidential scholar in 1968, as was one of her sons. Her only daughter is "unspoiled, like all the boys," according to her mother.
Her home was about family, and the living room had no conventional furniture, being reserved for family parties and musical fun. Now that the older boys have their own families, Reynolds has dedicated herself to her church.
After the birth of each grandchild, Reynolds spent a week with the new mom.
But her life is really about helping people, and she always sees the best in others.
Supportive Mother
KATHY SELLERS
Kathy Sellers' daughter says she is the type of mom who is the "backbone of society." She has had two professional careers on top of being a supportive mom to her three children.
On the family farm in South Dakota, Sellers woke at 4 a.m. to make breakfast for her brood, then went to work as a geneticist at South Dakota State University. Her work with spring wheat has helped farmers all over the nation.
A favorite family memory is the chocolate chip cookies that sometimes substituted for breakfast on the farm.
Now in Las Vegas, she works in the claims department at Sam's Club, where her office is a haven for the other employees. When a fellow employee was recently made a U.S. citizen, Sellers threw him a "Welcome to America" party. He wept at her thoughtfulness.
She is a role model, her daughter Valerie said, demonstrating that "hard work, education and service to others are the key ingredients to a happy life."
Nurturing Mother
LINDA MANOR
Linda Manor taught teamwork to her 11 children, says her daughter Trina, who nominated her. "She taught us that we complete one another, we are a part of each other."
When she lost her "soul mate" in 1995, Manor still had six children to raise on her own, "but she never gave up," her daughter said. When others teased her children and called them "project kids," Manor would answer, "It's not where you're from but where you're going. You can be whatever you want to be if you use the brains that God gave you."
Her daughter says Manor put her life on hold to raise the children, and "We just wanted to say thank you for making sure we had a hot meal every night. For praying us home safely through the danger zones. For standing by us then and today."
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