Hope found in mural

HURON — Even though the vibrant piece honors her husband and son, Lynn Kedas doesn't want people to feel remorseful or sorrowful. She hopes they take away the opposite emotions. "When I look at it, I'm not sad. It brings me joy," Lynn said. Going forward with grieving On June 23, 2021, Lynn's husband, Chris, 45, and her son, Owen, 11, passed away from open-air carbon monoxide poisoning while transporting a boat along the coastline of Lake Erie near Cleveland. In the two years since then, her anguish hasn't dissipated. "We still have our bad days," Lynn said when referring to herself and her other son Cameron, 15, a student at EHOVE Career Center. "You never know when it will happen. Grief comes out of nowhere and will smack you." She paused before continuing. "But, I feel for the most part, I try to grieve, and then I try to move forward — and I move forward because I am continuing to live for them." Lynn heaped high praise onto her support network, largely made up of many locals. They've rallied around her and Cameron during the most difficult time of their lives. For instance: • Owen's baseball team, which won a league championship in 2021 a month after his passing, dedicated that season to Owen. • His teammates and coaches also planted a tree at Fabens Park in both his and Chris' memory. They also hung a banner in the outfield displaying Owen's name and jersey number, 28. • The Huron High School baseball team retired Owen's jersey number. • Lynn also started a nonprofit after them, the Chris and Owen Kedas Memorial Foundation. Earlier this year, the organization hosted its first fishing derby. More than 100 people participated, and all raised funds to benefit local families in need. Both Chris and Owen considered themselves avid fishermen. But a mural represents the most visible tribute yet. At the intersection of Main and Standard streets, across from Main Street Tavern, they'll notice a colorful creation recently popping up on a building's side. The mural doesn't explicitly list Chris' or Owen's name anywhere on this 20-by-30 piece, and Lynn explained why. "It's not a dedication to them. I wanted to do a mural as a 'thank you' to the community of Huron for being so supportive to Cameron and me after Chris and Owen died," Lynn said. Lynn, however, noted several "hidden" nods to Chris and Owen exist throughout the piece, which features a waterfront theme with butterflies floating around. But people can understand its beauty with or without knowing her family's backstory, she said. "It's meant to be interactive," Lynn said. "I want people to stand in front of the butterflies and take pictures of it. I want people to sit on the bench in front of it. I just want people to enjoy it." Lynn named the piece "Wild Hope." "I have found that, when you are grieving, hope comes into play a lot. You hope that, one day, you will see them again. You hope that it is going to be in heaven. You look for hope in different places: in a song or in a picture or in nature, your faith. Hope can spring out of nowhere in a lot of different places." Regarding the "Wild Hope" mural, "I want people to come here to find their own hope and just let it grow wild. Hope isn't just about grieving and loss. We all have situations in our lives where we hope we are making the right decisions." Seeing people enjoying the mural puts a smile on Lynn's face. "I'm happy that our foundation and now this mural helps keep their legacies alive, and it's good therapy," Lynn said. Project partners Many people worked with Lynn to create "Wild Hope" This would include the mural's artist, Darcy Berardi. Among some other businesses and organizations contributing to the project: • Schill Grounds Management installed a bench in front of the mural and donated some pavers. • Grow Huron paid for the plant material and rocks at its base. • Barnes Nursery donated the labor. • Lucky Stone Gifts and Promotions provided the building space. Jenny Hagy, who owns Lucky Stone with her husband, Joel, talked about why she partnered with Lynn in this endeavor. Lynn does work at Lucky Stone. "The foundation's message of inspiring hope and providing crucial support for individuals and families experiencing devastating loss, in whatever form that takes, is one that resonates in this community," Jenny said. "Lynn is one of our own, and her and her surviving son's unimaginable experience has been felt to the core of all of us," Jenny added. "So there was no question when she said she needed a space to display her vision, Joel and I jumped at the chance to help bring it to fruition. It's really a lovely memorial." A deep dive into the mural Lynn broke down each component highlighted in the mural with several nods to Chris and Owen found throughout this piece: • Flowers — "Those are forget-me-nots to remember their legacy. It's the Alaska state flower, where I am from." • Fish and waves — "They represent the logo for the foundation." • Lighthouse — "That's the Huron lighthouse." • Baseball with the No. 28 — "It's a nod to Owen's passion and his jersey, No. 28." • Butterflies — "I have found that, when I'm thinking of Owen or talking about Owen, a butterfly appears. It's one of those things of hope. It's a sign that, when I see a butterfly, he is sending of message of saying 'Hi' or that he is OK." • Sun — "It's just to make it a warm piece." Want to help? Here's what the Chris and Owen Kedas Memorial Foundation strives to achieve: "Our mission is to give back to a community that stepped up when unimaginable tragedy struck the Kedas family," according to the nonprofit's mission statement. "Through donations and fundraising, the goal is to provide scholarships, create social spaces that are safe for people to grieve the loss of loved ones, provide immediate assistance to those in need of some hope and to host events that will bring the community together in memory of Chris and Owen Kedas," it continued." The nonprofit plans to host a fishing derby each year as the leading fundraiser to generate dollars for these purposes. Regarding how the money might be spent, "We have had a lot of things happen in our community and surrounding communities where people need some extra help," Lynn said. "I think about Cameron and my situation and how that was not planned, and people just showed up, whether it was for support or to help financially or bring food," she added. "What we would like to do is be a foundation that is there for people that have an immediate need." People can learn more about the foundation's efforts by emailing kedasmemorialfoundation@gmail.com or its Facebook page by searching "Chris & Owen Kedas Memorial Foundation."