Gold Star mothers find solace in shared sorrow, raise funds for local memorial in Paw Paw

PAW PAW, Mich. — Losing a loved one can be difficult, no matter the circumstances.

However, when that loved one is away serving in the military, the grief and loss their family back home feel can be even more difficult to cope with.

Maple City Veterans Memorial Park in Paw Paw honors service men and women who lost their lives protecting our nation.

Family members of those fallen men and women are given the gold star title after their passing.

Organizations like American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., can lend solace to mothers grieving the loss of their child.

Laura De Roo, current president of the Western Michigan chapter of American Gold Star Mothers, told News Channel 3 it’s important for her to be with other moms who understand the grief she felt when her son, Gabriel, was killed while serving in Iraq in 2006.

“My heart was aching, and I wanted to be with other gold star moms,” De Roo said. “The public can understand it to a degree, but not the way another gold star mom would understand.”

De Roo noticed that the closest memorial honoring gold star families was up to six hours away in Clinton Township, Mich., so she’s working to raise just over $100,000 to install one where mothers like herself, and other grieving family members, can cope.

“One of the hardest things is that isolation, and having the support of other gold star family members that really get it, it’s nice to have that connection and support.” De Roo said.

The group helps comfort moms like Robyn Wixom who are experiencing a similar loss, according to De Roo, who met Wixom through the group after her son, Cole, was killed in a training accident in 2019.

For Wixom, the support she felt from De Roo and the other gold star moms helped her begin to come to terms with life without her son.

“After my son was killed, she sent me a card in the mail, she expressed her condolences, and it felt really good that someone who understood what I was going through reached out,” Wixom said.

Wixom told News Channel 3 she frequently visits Cole’s high school, where he is honored with a plaque to remember his sacrifice.

For De Roo, since Gabriel is buried in Washington where his wife and son live, it was time to take action to bring an official gold star memorial to West Michigan.

Both women want the memorial to be inclusive for all gold star family members, not just mothers.

De Roo, Wixom, and local veterans are partnering with the Woody Williams Foundation to raise money for the memorial to be installed at Maple City Veterans Memorial Park as soon as 2026.

Those interested in donating can do so online, or by submitting a check with the memo “Paw Paw, MI” to Woody Williams Foundation, 12123 Shelbyville Rd, Suite 100, Louisville, KY 40243.