THE BUSINESS OF REMEMBERING

STOCKING MEMORIAL ITEMS CHANGED THIS FAMILY COMPANY'S FOCUS

- Emma Levett

Yvonne Ralph has experienced far more than her share of tragedy during her lifetime. She lost her 18-month old daughter, Jessica, to cot death in 1991 and, a few years later, that was followed by the deaths of her sister, Denise, and niece in a horror car accident.

"It was a couple of years of pure chaotic craziness," says Yvonne, now 66, from NSW's Central Coast. "I received a lot of flowers over that time."

While the thought was there, the flowers died and Yvonne says seeing them wilt and then having to throw them away made her sadder. It was a passing feeling, but one that reemerged many years later when, in 2021, there was another family death.

"My niece lost her baby at 38 weeks and I was heartbroken for her. What I'd been through all came pouring back and I needed to do something for her," Yvonne tells WHO.