“It is very humbling. It is kind of an honor they would trust you with an article of clothing that is so personal for them.” —Barbara Guinn
Roan Mountain resident Barbara Guinn has been making memory bears since October 2018 when her husband died. She has since made between 150 and 175 bears for dozens of families across the country.
* Story and Photos by Star Staff *
Roan Mountain resident makes memory bears for grieving families
R
oan Mountain resident has been helping families heal from death in the family by stitching special teddy bears, made from the clothes of the deceased loved ones. Barbara Guinn, who lives in the heart of Roan Mountain, said she came up with the idea after her husband died in October of
2018. “As I was going through his stuff, it was hard for me to part with it,” Guinn said. Rather than throw it out or donate it, however, she decided to make a few teddy bears out of her husband’s clothes for her grandchildren. They loved the idea. “I took a picture and posted it on Facebook,” she said. “I was
surprised how many people still have a shirt that belonged to a loved one.” Popular demand saw her make a few more for her friends and neighbors, and slowly her reputation spread. Now, a year later, Guinn occasionally gets requests from as far away as Montana. Currently, she is working on five orders of about 14 28
bears total. “It is very humbling,” Guinn said. “It is kind of an honor they would trust you with an article of clothing that is so personal for them.” Clients can contact Guinn with a variety of requests, and the two parties discuss what will work and what will not. For starters, she said she does not use T-shirts or
