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Friends of Myakka River

CELEBRATING MYAKKA MEMORIES

If you would like to dedicate a donation in celebration of a loved one, please leave a comment with your donation.

Celebrating Myakka Memories: In Memory of Lester Bachmann

January 08, 2024 4:40 PM | Miri Hardy (Administrator)

My donation to Friends of Myakka River is in memory of my father, Lester Bachmann, who loved to come to Myakka River State Park and birdwatch. My father felt that Myakka was a special place and he always was keen to share it with me when I came to visit.

-- Richard Bachmann, Canada

If you would like to dedicate a donation in celebration of a loved one, please leave a comment with your donation.
Celebrating Myakka Memories: In Memory of Peg Fritts

July 07, 2023 1:52 PM | Friends of Myakka River (Administrator)

Our mother, Margaret LeGore Fritts (Peg), taught us to love the beauty of nature. And she dearly loved Myakka. We grew up going there, celebrating our birthdays there. We love Myakka too.

Mom was not very ambulatory for many of her later years so she mostly went to Myakka to drive through, with frequent stops to look at the trees or moss or deer, pigs, birds, alligators, clouds, water, flowers…everything that makes Myakka so special. To her, it always felt like coming home.

Over the years, Mom spent a lot of time mentoring people and helping friends at sad or hard times in their lives. Most of that time was spent taking them for drives through Myakka. She said that they often requested it. Mom truly believed that Myakka is a special place that everyone needed to experience. And that is was rewarding to the soul. She appreciated the importance of Myakka's habitats and their biodiversity, but equally reveled in how the light subtly changed over the hammocks as the day grew long. When her husband died and later our brother, Mom said that Myakka was one of the only places she found peace. Visiting her favorite tree, the big Live Oak by the Birdwalk, was a moment of beauty and calmness for her. She called it her "God Tree".

We held Mom’s memorial service at Myakka on April 22nd, 2023 - Earth Day coincidentally and so appropriate! Our sister Adelaide, our spouses and all 7 grandchildren reunited to remember Mom. We gathered around her favorite tree in the late afternoon and spoke about her life. There really was some kind of special feeling in the air.

The weather was lovely, a soft breeze was blowing, the afternoon light softening...It was more than the sum of its parts can describe. There was something kind of magical about being in that spot and I’m pretty sure we all felt it!

- Meg Nelson and Jennifer Graue

If you would like to dedicate a donation in celebration of a loved one, please leave a comment with your donation.
Celebrating Myakka Memories: In Memory of Uncle Kobbi

March 30, 2022 4:53 PM | Friends of Myakka River (Administrator)

My donation to Friends of Myakka River is dedicated to my uncle Kobbi Achiam, who passed away in February, 2022.

Kobbi was an avid fisherman, and some of my fondest memories with him were at Myakka River State Park, where he taught me to fish with my sister and cousins.

My Aunt told me that Uncle Kobbi loved those days that we went to Myakka, and was thrilled when we caught fish.

I hope this donation can be used to maintain and conserve the park for future families to make similar memories.

- Rob Leon, New York

If you would like to dedicate a donation in celebration of a loved one, please leave a comment with your donation.