Published: Monday, February 12, 2007
After tragic loss, a message of love
The little girl just wanted to look at a double rainbow.
BY AMANDA GARRETT
WARREN — A Massachusetts mother whose 4-year-old daughter died in an unusual accident is bringing a message of love and hope to Trumbull County in March.
Gretchan Pyne will be the keynote speaker at an event to empower mothers and women March 18 at the Avalon Inn.
Proceeds from the event will help the St. Mary and St. Joseph School in Newton Falls replace playground equipment that is about 30 years old.
Pyne said the death of her daughter Olivia Lynn, whom everyone called Lulu, helped her learn lessons she now shares with others.
"No one leaves this life without pain," she said. "It's how you deal with it that matters."
Pyne decided to come to Trumbull County because of the philosophy of the St. Mary and St. Joseph School.
"They teach their children that we can all make a difference in this world, no matter how big or small," she said. "They're training the students to be the philanthropists of the future."
The cost for the event, which includes lunch and a fashion show, is $30. There are 350 seats available. For tickets, call Rita McIntosh at (330) 547-8808 or (330) 509-0060; or the school at (330) 872-7676.
Her story
On July 14, 2001, Pyne, her husband, Warren, twins Dylon and Drew and Lulu stopped to have ice cream after a day at Cape Cod.
Lulu was dancing and singing around the parking lot when she noticed a beautiful double rainbow on the horizon, Pyne said. Lulu then stepped onto the base of a bicycle rack and did what the family always called her "Vanna White" pose — extending one arm upward as if showcasing the rainbow.
The unanchored rack then flipped over, pinning Lulu instantly to the ground. Doctors said Lulu's trachea and chest were crushed and her heart muscle was severed by the weight of the bike rack. Doctors believe she died instantly.
Pyne said memories of Lulu sustained her during the months afterward.
"Lulu was a beautiful person inside and out," she said. "She had more wisdom than most people have in a lifetime. We were blessed to know her, even for such a short time."
In particular, Pyne remembered a gray, New England day when Lulu gave her a new perspective on life.
"We were driving and Lulu had on a pair of plastic rose-colored glasses that her father had given her," she said. "She kept on saying, 'Mama, look, the whole world is pink — try them on,' but I was cranky and worried about the chores and didn't pay much attention to her."
When they arrived home, Pyne felt bad for brushing her daughter off, so she decided to put on the glasses.
"You know what? The world really did look better," she said.
Wrote about it
After Lulu's death, Pyne remembered that day and wrote a book about it called, "Lulu's Rose-Colored Glasses." Pyne founded Lulu Belle Books to publish "Lulu's Rose-Colored Glasses" in December 2003, and six other Lulu books she is planning. The book's message is about looking on the bright side of life.
Pyne has traveled the U.S. since its publication. She has appeared on television and radio programs, including "Good Morning America." Also, Lulu's story was featured last May in a six-page article in Ladies Home Journal.
Pyne said she will appear on WKBN-TV 27 and WFMJ Channel 21 while she is in the area.
"Women who are in their 60s and 70s, who lost a child many years ago, have come up to me and said, 'I've held it inside of me all these years, but now I'm going to let go and learn to live again,'" she said.
Pyne hopes her second book, "Lulu Decorates Daddy," will be ready by March. "If it's ready, the Ohio audience will be the first to look at it," she said. Pyne will be signing books at Borders Books in Warren from 2 to 4 p.m. March 17.
agarrett@vindy.com
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