Memory bears keep people connected with loved ones

Remembering deceased loved ones often means keeping sentimental belongings. It is the sentiment attached to that favorite old shirt, fur coat or sweater that inspires Sherry Attard of Columbia Falls to create “memory bears.”

Attard first began making Teddy bears several years ago, using old wool coats from second-hand stores. The original idea was to create something she could sell at craft shows. Using a bear pattern and second-hand articles of clothing, the bears didn’t require a ton of investment, she said.

One of the very first bears she ever made was for her youngest son. About five years after that, Attard made her first “memory bears” for her aunt after her aunt’s husband died. The bears ­­— three in total — were made from a muskrat fur coat that held special emotional value for Attard’s aunt.

While doing craft shows and markets, Attard would occasionally get orders for special “memory bears” from the sign she had at her booth.

In 2012, Attard lost her youngest son in an car accident. She kept the bear that she had made for him as a child some 25 years earlier.

“Through the grieving process I realized how tightly we cling to our memories of those we love, and having something tangible helps us do that,” she said.

At that point, Attard was already on the website Etsy but had very few sales.

“I decided if it helped me to have that bear (that I made for my son), then perhaps others were looking for that way to find comfort also,” Attard said.

She reworded her Etsy listings to let people know that she would make a memory bear from any sentimental clothing they had. That was about 2 1/2 years ago, and it didn’t take long before Attard was getting inquiries from all over the country. As orders continued to stream in, Attard eliminated shows and markets and began focusing solely on memory bears.

“Occasionally someone wants a bunny, or a dog or a pillow. I do have a request right now for an elephant, but the bears seem to be universally popular,” Attard said.

On occasion, Attard will get requests to put a lock of the deceased loved one’s hair in the bear, and one customer asked her to put a set of false teeth in a bear.

Some bears are more difficult than others.

“I think it is hardest to make a bear out of baby clothes when the child has passed away,” she said.

Not all of the bears are for loss or grief.

“Sometimes they are the outfit their baby came home from the hospital in or just a fur that has hung in the closet for many years because it belonged to grandma,” Attard said.

It’s rewarding work.

“Being entrusted with garments that will bring healing or joy to people’s lives gives me a sense of purpose while I’m working on the bears,” Attard said.

Stories often come with the garments.

“I have had customers call on the phone and tell me of their loved ones,” Attard said.

On orders where she is able to deliver the finished bear in person, it can get emotional.

“They’ll sometimes cry, and I’ll tear up,” Attard added.

At the end of the day, the process is rewarding.

“I do feel like it is sort of a calling on my life at this point and I feel like I am helping others to grieve and be able to move forward in the process,” Attard said.