A longtime supporter of her community has died, but friends and family say her contributions to helping people in their grief will live on.
Lou-Ann Redmon, founder of The GriefCare Place in Stow in 1997, died Wednesday after a brief illness. She was 84 years old.
“One of the biggest things, and this tells me a lot about her, is the ripple effect she had,” said Kathi Kazmer, program director at The GriefCare Place.
Redmon and her late husband Bruce founded Redmon Funeral Home in Stow in 1968, fulfilling Bruce’s dream of starting and owning a community funeral home, according to her obituary. The funeral home is still owned by the family.
As the funeral home grew, it became apparent that there was no on-site “continued care” for those who had experienced the death of a loved one, Redmon’s obituary states.
“She saw the need for a grief forum,” said son Keith Redmon, who runs Redmon Funeral Home. “There was nothing else. Hospice didn’t offer grief counseling. The churches didn’t. My mother always did grief counseling and took care of the families even after they left the cemetery. That was her passion. I just always remember her providing grief counseling.”
Sue Freeman, volunteer coordinator for The GriefCare Place, said the idea for GriefCare Place came about when a woman who was recently widowed called Redmon and was distressed.
“She told her, ‘I think I’m going crazy,'” Freeman said. “So she talked to this woman at the funeral home. That’s how it all started.”
Redmon became a nationally licensed bereavement counselor and initially began offering grief counseling to families served by Redmon Funeral Home. This support evolved and became the first support group in the area. She also conducted grief workshops and seminars nationwide and presented programs for a number of groups and organizations.
Redmon served as director of The GriefCare Place for 20 years.
Kazmer, Freeman and Sue Dyett, the office manager at GriefCare Place, had themselves turned to the organization for support after the loss of their spouses.
“People come from all over,” Freeman said. “It’s such a unique place. We have a woman who comes all the way from Canal Fulton. It’s a safe and pleasant place. We’re going to try to keep it the way Lou-Ann wanted it.”
“She will leave a void in all of our hearts.”
Dyett said Redmon also insisted that the services offered by The GriefCare Place, which include counseling and various support groups, are free.
“When people call, they ask, ‘How much is it, does my insurance cover it?'” Dyett said. “They’re speechless when we tell them it’s free. But Lou-Ann wanted to take that worry away from them. She would never charge anything.”
Freeman said Redmon was modest and never liked to take credit for himself.
“She always gave glory to God,” Freeman said. “She was an amazing, wonderful person. I’ve never met anyone like her in my life. She was a mentor to all of us. I feel privileged to have had her train me.”
Keith Redmon said his parents, who were married for 60 years, worked together as a team. They both met at Cuyahoga Falls High School, where they graduated.
“They worked really well together, that’s for sure,” Keith said. “My family grew up here. They did a lot together.”
Kazmer said Bruce and Lou-Ann Redmon always supported each other.
“They were a dynamic force,” Kazmer said. “They were an amazing couple. They were involved not only in the funeral home and in bereavement counseling, but also in many community organizations like the Rotary Club.”
In addition to her husband, Redmon was preceded in death by her sister, Jerilyn Yama, who also passed away in 2022. Her survivors include sons and daughters-in-law Kevin and Pam Redmon of Duluth, Georgia, and Keith and Catherine Redmon of Stow; grandchildren and great-grandchildren Alyssa (Todd) Slagle and her son Connor of Atlanta, Georgia; Craig (Katie) Redmon and their daughters Allison and Harper of Hoschton, Georgia; Jacob Redmon of Stow; and Sydney (Ryan) Roush and their children Jackson and Raegan of Fairborn, Ohio; sisters Marla (Vic) DeBellis of Akron and Maloa Achberger of Cuyahoga Falls.
Friends are invited to share stories and memories of Redmon from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Redmon Funeral Home, 3633 Darrow Road in Stow. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Christ Community Chapel, 750 W. Streetsboro St. (State Route 303) in Hudson. Burial will follow in Silver Springs Cemetery in Stow.
Memorial contributions may be made to Christ Community Chapel or The GriefCare Place, 4499 Darrow Road, Stow 44224.
For information about The GriefCare Place, visit https://thegriefcareplace.org or call 330-686-1750.
Reporter April Helms can be reached at [email protected]
This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Redmon family matriarch remembered for her care and compassion
