On behalf of the Ford Family Fundraiser Committee, and the Ford and Larkin families, we want to take the opportunity to thank the many advertisers, donors, and attendees at the event “Remembering Ann Marie” on May 29th at Florian Hall. We were overwhelmed by the extraordinary support and generosity that we received from so many individuals and businesses, which helped make the event such an incredible success.  We know that Ann Marie was loved by many, and that she helped many neighbors and friends during her lifetime, but we never imagined or appreciated the magnitude of the people she touched and who loved her until the night of the event honoring her.  

We are fortunate to be members of a thoughtful and generous community that rallies together to help out whenever someone needs a hand.  It is a precious and rare gift in this day and age to know that we can and do rely on one another in times of need. It was also extremely comforting and supporting for Ann Marie’s children, Brendan and Ashley to see such a fitting tribute to their wonderful mother. It was a night Ann Marie was surely proud and deserving of. It has been a little over a year since Ann Marie’s passing, and her event demonstrated that those we love may be gone for now but they are never forgotten. We celebrated not only Ann Marie, we celebrated our love and support for her, her children, and for all of us who miss her.

There are so many people that contributed to this event that we felt the best way to say our heartfelt thanks was to say it to the community as a whole.  We will of course continue to thank all of you as we cross paths in the days and years to come. We also wanted everyone to know that we have established the college education fund for Ann Marie’s children, and they have that fund to rely on in the future when it is time.  We are incredibly thankful to all of you who helped support the event and its purpose, and we know that Ann Marie is surely smiling down upon us with a “job well done” to all.