Dear Friends,
It is with the deepest sadness that we share with you that Edwina Froehlich, co-Founder of La Leche League International, passed away on June 8, 2008 at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA, after suffering a stroke on May 25. Edwina is survived by her three sons, three daughters-in-law and nine grandchildren as well as her many friends and the organization she helped found.
Funeral and memorial arrangements are pending. Please visit www.llli.org/edwina.html for more information. If you wish, please click the "comments" link below to leave a message as an online memorial to Edwina.
Sincerely,
Jane Tuttle, Chairman of the Board
Barbara Emanuel, Executive Director
116 comments:
Thank you, Edwina. I will light a candle today for the light you helped to bring to the world.
Thank you Edwina, for all you have done for mothers around the world. Your life was an inspiration and your passion touched so many people.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Edwina's family.
I have an informal web site that I set up for memories and pictures. You can view it at http://www.carolinasunshine.org/Edwina/edwina.html. There's a reference to a recently taken video, posted on another provided link, and it is really amazing. Taken at the MI Area Conference. Edwina was an incredibly beautiful person. Inside and out. Janet Jendron, South Carolina, USA.
May your family find strength in this difficult time.
Thank you for all you have done for mothers and children.
Your spirit lives on through so many.
Edwina: your spirit, knowledge, encouragement, and love have touched mothers and babies around the world. What an amazing life accomplishment.
Edwina, your memory is among the righteous. To your beloved family and all of the women around the world who considered you their LLLI mother and grandmother, may you find comfort among those who are bereaved, among us and the people of the world.
Thanks to Edwina, for making the world a bit better, one baby at a time. She lives in the life of so many people, including my own family.
With gratitude and awe for the world that you did so much to change. My thoughts and prayers are with all who will miss you.
Thank you, Edwina for making breastfeeding a reality for so many mom's in a society that doesn't always valued the power of mother's milk. LLL was a great support to me as a first time breastfeeding mother and stay-at-home mom. My heart and prayers are with you and your family. May you rest in peace and know that your dream lives on.
Krystal, Springfield, VA
Edwina, you are an example for all generations to come, you have made a better place for millions of families, we carry you in our hearts, may you rest in peace,
Cecilia
Thank you, Edwina, for being such an inspiration to us all and freeing families to follow their hearts.
With love and gratitude to you and your family,
The Eury Family
Edwina, you changed the world and left it a better place for having been here. It has been a blessing to know you and to work with your daughter-in-law, Marilyn in my tenure with LLL.
With gratitude to your family for sharing you so generously with the LLL world.
Thank you, Edwina. Your spirit will indeed live on, your legacy can be found in all corners of the globe. Your family were so blessed, we hope they take some comfort knowing that many others share their sense of loss.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family. What a beautiful an meaningful life Edwina shared with us. She really did make a difference in the world.
My entire life was changed with the birth of my first child, and La Leche League helped shape those changes. In the beginning, it was all about the breastfeeding. Later, as the mothers I met there became my dearest friends, changes continued in our lives and will continue to shape the family that we are and will become.
I do not think that Edwina (or any of the other founders) could possibly have envisioned the impact their small group would have on the whole world. LLL has blessed the lives of so many families.
The legacy that she leaves is that so many of us are committed to continuing the work she helped start. At its core, LLL is about mothers helping other mothers and sharing their knowledge. Thanks to the founders' example, we are empowered to do the same. And the world is better for it. Thank you Edwina for having the courage to start the changes.
I had the pleasure of meeting Edwina at a LLL of EPA Conference a few years ago. It was definitely a highlight of my life. She has touched so many lives and her legacy will live on through breastfed babies all over the globe. Thank you Edwina!
Edwina non ci siamo conosciute personalmente ma la tua Leche League la sento anche mia e senza di te ciò non sarebbe stato possibile. Il tuo impegno e il tuo amore resterà per sempre patrimonio dell'umanità.
GRAZIE!!!!!!
GIUDITTA
I want to express my gratitude to Edwina. There is no aspect of my life that La Leche League has not touched. As a leader for the past 15 years I've been proud to carry on the work she began. My family and I share in your loss.
What a loss for the world today. Edwina was truly an inspiration and pioneer who will be deeply missed. The amount of families she touched the world over is innumerable. Edwina was a beautiful lady, inside and out, throughout the years. I count myself lucky to have met and spoken with her on several occassions. Her vision and passion live on in the hearts of thousands of LLL Leaders and mothers throughout the world. My thoughts and prayers are with the Froehlich family.
~Susan Para, ACL Indiana
Thank you, Edwina for all you have for mothers around the world. I will never forget the grand lady who welcomed me in her home more than once and whom I started to consider, without ever telling her,as my LLL mother. You taught me so much, Edwina.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family at this time. May all they have learnt from you sustain them now and in the future.
Love never dies
Merci pour tout.
Martine
May Edwina's family find comfort and peace.
Edwina's work for breastfeeding mothers was a true women's movement!
I consider myself very lucky that I was able to attend several conferences and attend sessions with all the founders present, including Edwina. I remember her as intelligent, full of humour and enthusiasm, a truly bright light. The world is a sadder place for her passing but she has, along with her co-founders, left a legacy for moms, babies, and families everywhere.
How comforting to have the memories of the League when it was just in its early stages..to be with so many fantastic women and learn so much more than the Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding..
Thank you Dear Woman..a Goddess no doubt,,
Micki
Edwina's vibrant personality and intelligence have been a pleasure to have experienced over the last 33 years! She and the other Founders made a difference in my life and my family's life that is impossible to describe. THANK YOU Edwina, for all you have done for our society in so beautifully upholding the importance of breastfeeding, mothering and family life. You will be missed but your contributions will continue to inspire and influence families everywhere. Love, Janaki Costello
My thoughts and prayers are with Edwina's family. I pray her family finds comfort in God's love and care.
Edwina, I will never forget giving you a tour of Austin with my high need baby in tow. I really enjoyed hearing your stories of your own children. I know you are filled with peace and joy as now you can really understand the magnitude of all the mom's and babies you helped. Thank you seems so small for all you have done, but THANK YOU! I wish your family peace and comfort during this sad time.
Much Love,
Ann Bennett LLL, IBCLC, RLC
Austin, TX
A mighty tree has fallen and leaves not space and silence, but the babble of millions of happy, healthy breastfed babies and their families in her place. Thank you so very much Edwina, for helping to found an entity that completely reshaped my life and those of my children.
Robin Jones Greif
Queensland, Australia
The organization you helped found will continue to carry your influence and memory forward through the years. You were an inspiration to so many of us--as a mother, a Leader, and a woman.
Edwina-- You may well be one of the five people we meet in heaven, for very many of us! For all the lives you made healthier, for all the deep joy, and for all the heartfelt spirituality you dealt us, you certainly qualify!
Ann Conlon-Smith, Raleigh, NC
Edwina provided inspiration for my journey with my family and my connection to LLL through the years.
I first met Edwina at the 1968 LLLI Convention in Denver. It was there that she taught me her solution to her frustration when her babies/little ones/ even grown up ones would interrupt her plans for whatever she was doing. In her children's early years she decided that rather than be frustrated about the frequent interruptions when she was working on a project, she decided to put the project aside until her babies were older. That translated into accepting that her children's needs were more important to her than whatever she had in mind at the moment.
I took that wisdom home with me. I have treasured the gifts of peace I've felt when my children and now my grandchildren interrupt my life with their needs and I choose to put my "project" on hold until a better time for us all. The "projects" did/will get done - or not - sooner or later - depending on how important they were/are to me but not at the cost of ignoring a child's needs. Because of that, I have peace in my heart about my choices over the years.
I pray that Edwina and her family have all felt the appreciation and affection we have for her and the LLL Love that is surrounding them all at this time.
Kay Batt, Renton, WA
Thank you, Edwina for all you have done for mothers and babies. You are an inspiration. Our thoughts are with your family at this time.
Thank You Edwina,
I was our pleasure to have known you and learned from you. How wonderful to leave La Leche League and millions of happily breastfed babies behind you as your spiritual journey continues. Many prayers for the progress of your delightful and loving soul.
Candace Hill
Evanston Illinois
Thank you for all you did during your long and wonderful life for all the mothers and babies lucky enough to know La Leche League. My family will be forever grateful to you and the other 6 Founding Mothers. God speed...My thoughts are with your family.
Margaret Goebel
Thank you so much for starting an organization that has helped so many mothers and children realize the joy of breastfeeding and that close attachment that is so dear!
Me entristece en lo profundo despedirme de Edwina...no la conoci, ni ella a mi, pero el haber fundado La Liga de la Leche, esta gran red de madres amorosas, de haber apoyado para que otras me apoyen en mis momentos más intimos con mi hijo, para que pudiera darle el pecho, hace que hoy se me caigan todas estas lagrimas...y me comprometa con más fuerza a seguir estando donde ella me ayudo.
Gracias Edwina por tanto amor, por tu incansable labor como mamá y fundadora de nuestra querida Liga de la Leche!!!
Dolores Arancibia
Argentina
Thank you Edwina. Because of you and the other brave mothers who began this organization, my life, my husband's, and that of my children is forever changed in a beautiful and powerful way.
Norma
Thank you, Edwina. My family's lives were profoundly changed by what I learned in La Leche League. I am forever grateful to you and the other mothers who had the courage and commitment to bring La Leche League to the world.
A special thank you to your family, who must have made some sacrifices to share such a wonderful woman with the world.
Edwina,
May you be enjoying the rewards of a life of great substance, reunited with your husband, John, and watching your family & friends celebrating YOU! I was priviled to meet you back in the late 1960's when I became CLA for Texas and began many journeys to Chicago. At your home you graciously welcomed us with wholesome food, something you embraced long before most of us knew how important this was. And throughout your life you exercised, taking great pride in your sons atheletic prowess. When I discovered John was a poet I bought his books as gifts for my daughter. Later, widowed for 9 years, you gave the 'stamp of approval' to my fiance & now husband, Alex. I remember your presence at the Irish parties at International Conferences, leading the merriment.You served as my mentor and I thank God today for the joy & enrichment you brought my life and all of LLL.
Cecily Harkins, Portland, Oregon, USA
Thanks you, Edwina, for being one of the co-founders of LLLI. My family is enriched through the womanly art of breastfeeding! I did not know any breastfeeding mothers (including my own mother) until I heard of LLL. You were such an inspiration and encourager--so much so that now my grandchildren are also breastfed. I cherish the times I got to spend with you while working on the USWD Staff in the 80s and 90s. Your spirit lives on!
Gratefully, Agnes Leistico
Thank you Edwina, and to your family, for sharing you with so many of us. I have been a small part of the "Edwina Footprint" on this earth. From my family circle to hundreds more over the years, mothering and breastfeeding have been the anchors.
Theresa Weigel, Kansas
For half a century, mothers and babies the world over have found happiness as a direct result of your dedication to supporting breastfeeding through La Leche League. Thank you.
Desde Madrid (España), y desde mi corazón deseo agradecerte que hayas fundado esta maravillosa ONG, de mujeres maravillosas como tú, que nos han ayudado a superar lo insuperable, a ser mas valientes, mas mujeres, a ver más allá gracias al amamantamiento, a ser más sensibles, a crear un mundo de madres e hijos felices y sanos, y por tanto familias felices, y por tanto un mundo mejor. Puedes ir a ese mundo de paz con la cabeza bien alta, y una sonrisa en los labios tan bonita como la que aparece en la foto, porque lo que has dejado en este mundo es tan bello y palpable....
Allá arriba brillará hoy una estrella más, que buscaré cuando mis fuerzas flaqueen.
Besos y un abrazo fuerte para toda tu familia en estos difíciles momentos, porque es muy duro perder a una madre, sobre todo si es como Edwina.
María Jesús Trigo.
CD de LLLMadrid
cara edwina! ho letto e sentito il tuo nome cosi' tante volte, che mi sembra di averti conosciuta! :-)
ancora grazie per tutto quello che la leche league, nata anche dal tuo cuore, ha dato, sta dando e continuera' a dare a tutte le mamme del mondo e ai loro bambini. grazie anche per tutto quello che la leche league, attraverso le mamme ed i loro bambini, ha dato e sta dando a me con incredibile generosita'.
un abbraccio, una preghiera, un ricordo per sempre
da veh
Thank you for helping start an organization that I found such joy and support in. May your friends and family find comfort in all the love and support you brought the world.
Dear Edwina, family, and friends,
Thank you for having the courage to go forth in the world helping to empower mothers to naturally nourish their infants.
Jane Hawkes, Rexburg, Idaho LLL leader since 1974
To the Froehlich Family,
Thank you for sharing your beloved mother and grandmother with countless families. Her passion for good mothering through breastfeeding will live on in La Leche League.
Thank you Edwina for the work you began and continued to do throughout your life for mothers and babies around the world.
I will always be grateful for the influence La Leche League has had on my mothering and for the large part you played in this.
Our thoughts and prayers are with your family and we give thanks for their generosity in sharing you with us.
Alison, Denis, Josephine, Craig, Laura, Peter, Ruth, Jed and Thomas Stanton
Edwina was an inspiration to me as she was to so many other leaders and mothers around the world. What a beautiful legacy to leave the world; so many loved and happy babies.
My thoughts and prayers are with Edwina's family.
Edwina, I treasure the gift you brought to me in Oklahoma--the knowledge that boys are boisterous and brimming with fun, and that I could still be a vital help to breastfeeding mothers when my nursing days were done.
Your freely given love continues through the lives you touched.
I am so thankful that Edwina helped to start La Leache League. I appreciate the vision and the lessons on mothering. I pray that your family is blessed by all of the love that so many of us had for Edwina.
Edwina will be missed. Her vision - better mothering through breastfeeding - was revolutionary for its time, and because of her passion, hard work and dedication, the lives of mothers and babies throughout the world have been enriched.
Thank you Edwina for helping us give what's best for our children.
As I sit here breastfeeding my daughter, I think about what Edwina's work has meant to myself, my children, La Leche League, and our world. It was such a privilege to meet her at the Michigan conference in April. While we will miss Edwina, her spirit lives on.
Edwina was very loved and will be missed by all that knew her or were touched by LLL.
My heart goes out to the friends and family at this time of loss of your mother and our beloved friend. Edwina taught me how to parent through breastfeeding as well as gentle parenting. Where would my children have been had Edwina not been one of the "brave" women 50 years ago who had enough of parenting that went against their hearts?
From Theresa Himes, Mt Pleasant, Iowa
I am so sad to hear the news. I blogged my goodbye here:
http://beckersmith.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/06/the-passing-of-a-giant.html
Edwina, thank you for all you did for moms and babies for all those years and for all of us who are having babies today. We are forever in your debt.
I remember the first time I met Edwina. 1978 at the first LLL of GA conference. The session she presented impressed not only me, but also my husband. Since then I have never failed to be impressed by this remarkable, very intelligent woman. She really lived life to the fullest.
And she made a true difference in the lives of thousands.
The world lost a true treasure today. Edwina will be truly missed.
Thank you, Edwina, for your contribution not only to the betterment of our entire world, but also to my individual family. Without LLL, I would have had no positive mothering role models.
My children have witnessed natural childbirth and extended breastfeeding as normal, unquestionable, family-life processes. Though your earthly form ceases to breathe, Edwina, your legacy will surely continue to the end of days.
I have such immeasurable gratitude for all you have done. My family and I thank you. To the Froehlich family - I thank you again for including all of us in the LLL community in this intimate time of Edwina's passing. We love her; she is our mother too.
In Christ's Love,
Pastor Lindsay Broters
Leader since 2000, Ohio, USA
Mama to my own gang of LLLittle LLLeagers - Peyton, Zayna, Garrett, Alexis, Ella & Mekhi
Thank you for the beautiful legacy you have given us. We will miss your warmth, compassion, and kindness.
You were a treasure to have known. I will never forget your ready smile, and words of encouragement.
If it weren't for you and the other co-founders, I wouldn't be the mother and grandmother I am.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for giving us the courage to follow our hearts.
Connie Chiavario, Leader 22 years
Thanks to you Edwina, the ripple effect of your care and concern reached across the ocean by 1976 to France to help me when I needed your help. And the ripple has gone on to become a huge wave of love and care to mothers all over France with over 250 Leaders currently passing on the message in that important mother-to-mother style you taught us all. Your spirit will continue to be with us forever. Bless you. Lea Cohen, Leader of 30 years now.
I'm from Algeria, thanks to LLL, I could breastfeed my daughters, and I'm know performing a taining in order to become a leader here in Algeria.
Thank you LLL.
Thank you Edwina, the millions of prayers of all those little angels thant has been breasfeeded thanks to you are transporting you to havean
Thankyou Edwina. We never met, but you have helped me. Your example is an inspiration.
In celebration of an amazing woman, who gave us all so much.
Her legacy lives on in all the mothers and babies helped by La Leche League every day all over the world.
What an inspiration!
my baby and me thank you!!! i'm a french mum and your association help me and change my life !
bon voyage et merci pour tout l amour que la lll apporte!!!
Edwina, you have helped thousands of women be better mothers. Thank you for all you have done for us. We have all been blessed by your life.
Thank you for sharing so much with the world. Your legacy of LLLove will live on through all the babies and families you helped. You are the "wind beneath my wings".
May the love & nurturing you've given many continue to flow in spirit!
Thank you for all you have done through the years to help and encourage women to breastfeed. You will be missed!
C'est une nouvelle qui m'attriste beaucoup : je me sens très redevable à
ces dames qui nous ont donné la voie, qui nous ont donné la voix - pour
défendre notre beau statut de mamans allaitantes, de mamans libres de
donner le sein à leur bébé, de mamans !
Toutes mes pensées à la famille d'Edwina, à ses amis.
Sylvie, animatrice LLL à Vesoul, France.
Thank you, Edwina. It was through your support that my mother successfully breastfed me in 1975
When it came time for me to nourish my son, she passed on the wisdom obtained from you and the other founders.
May God's peace and comfort support The Froehlich family.
Gracias Edwina,
Gracias por todas esas horas de tu vida que las entregaste por los bebes y madres de este mundo. tu vida es una ofrenda a la generosidad.
Sin conocerte te lloro porque tu herencia me acompaña en mi labor de lider.
She changed the world; she changed my world. Thank you, thank you, thank you! jana
Gracias Edwina por todo el amor, tiempo y dedicación brindado a LLL.
Tu pasión cambió la vida de miles de familia a través del mundo. Tu luz seguirá dando frutos generación tras generación.
Nuestros mejores deseos para la familia de Edwina. Fue una gran mujer.
LLLGuatemala
Mi más sentido pésame a la familia de la Sra. Froehlich "Feliz" que llevó mucha felicidad, alegria, bienestar (como su apellido la remarca)y salud a miles y miles de madres, padres y niños, que gracias a ella y a todo el equipo de LLL tienen hoy en día el máximo de sus capacidades gracias a la lactancia materna
Geraldine Maurer
Perú
As a mother and La Leche League Leader of many years, I am deeply saddened by the passing of Edwina, and convey my condolences to her family. I will always be grateful for the loving way of parenting I learned through Edwina's dedicated work. She indeed brought light to the world and made the world a better place for mothers, babies and families.
In the mid 1960’s I heard my grandmother discuss as a novel thing her young friend who was breastfeeding her newborn with the assistance of an unusual organization—and she pronounced the name as if it were French. As a college student I attended a LLL meeting to learn what my “town” friend did as a Leader. And then I married and had children and nursed them with the assistance and encouragement of my local La Leche League Group, becoming one of its Leaders in 1979.
Edwina Froehlich and her friends have given an amazing gift to me and to my family. I didn’t realize the power of that gift until my grandchildren came along and my daughter, who had originally thought her mother’s support and info would be enough, found herself fleeing back to the wonderful cocoon of La Leche League Groups and meetings. There she found herself normal, her instinct to nurse her child, carry her child, and respect the pace of her child’s development honored instead of denigrated. Newt knew what and who had taught and influenced me, and chose to become a LLL Leader, making us one of many mother/daughter Leader pairs within the organization. Today, as the word spread of Edwina’s death, she posted this blog, which I share with her permission.
“On October 17, 1956, seven women gathered to discuss their experiences with breastfeeding, and to offer to each other the support they felt they needed in following their chosen path of mothering. From this humble beginning came an international organization that still focuses on mothers who have or are breastfeeding and supporting mothers who want to breastfeed. In a very real sense, I was raised in this organization, attending meetings as a child and helping at conferences as a teenager. As a mother, I have found La Leche League to be invaluable to myself, and am proud to count myself a part of this organization. And always, always, the seven Founders have been there, usually far in the background from what I can see, although often in the thick of things from their perspective I'm sure.
Yesterday morning, the first of the Founders died. Edwina Froelich died peacefully at 5am Sunday morning. She'd had a stroke near the end of May, and it became clear fairly quickly from the emails that filtered down to me that it was only a matter of time, that she would not be recovering from this stroke. It still comes as a bit of a shock. These women were mothers twenty years before I was born; it makes sense that in the natural course of things, they will all die before I do. But I think my reaction is perhaps like what my history teacher described as the reaction of people to Queen Victoria's death: People had been born, and grown up, and died, all under Queen Victoria's reign; most people simply couldn't imagine the world without her. I have grown up in the shadow of the Founders; it is odd to think of them passing from this world, one by one. (Thankfully, it will likely be awhile before the last of them dies; Marian Thompson, for one, is still very active in a variety of causes.)”
So, to Edwina and the family that shared her with the world—we honor you, we love you, and we extend our sincerest gratitude for all she did and that you shared with us.
In deep and loving gratitude—
Anne Marie Miller (Leader since 1979)
Newt Elizabeth Sherwin (Leader since 2007)
La Leche entered my life in February 1972, and how wonderful they were for me and my family. I was a leader for about 5 years but I do not have much to do with the League now, but they will forever be a part of my life, a part I enjoyed so much. My sympathy to all the family
Roswyn Glenny NZ
Thank you.
Edwina's work has left a legacy that has touched millions of people, and will be carried on by the families her work has inspired. She has done truly great things!
Thank you Edwina for your vision to help mothers of many generations and future generations to continue your legacy....Good Mothering through Breastfeeding. From the moment that I met you in Chicago, I knew you were special. You and my own mother are smiling down from heaven and I will feel that you are always with me guiding me for my future grandchildren.
Much Love,
Charmaine, LLL Leader and my 4 Breastfed children
My heart goes out to the Froehlich family. I hope it's a comfort to know that around the world, thousands of mothers are mourning Edwina's passing and giving thanks for her life. She was a leader of a quiet but amazing revolution which purely made the world a better place.
Marcia McCoy
Dear Edwina,
To say that you changed my life & my mothering, and influenced me to be who I am today, would be an understatement! LLL *found me* in 1969 in Buffalo NY,USA, and I was inspired by your Leader Applicant Training to become a LLLLeader and eventually an LC. Remembering your example of re-starting the Franklin Park, IL group, I "reactivated" this year so that I could volunteer on the LLLI Helpline.
Forever grateful for the gift of your life, and with heartfelt condolences to your family, I send LLL Love, Karen Evon
Although this is a sad time to have lost such a wonderful woman as you Edwina, I know that all that you have done through La Leche League will live on forever as your legacy. I feel so priviledged to have had the opportunity to have met and spoken with you at the LLLI Conference in Chicago last year. Such a humble woman who just wanted to know about us and how La Leche League was functioning in other parts of the world. What an inspiration and visionary you have been to thousands of families all over the world. My thoughts are with your wonderful family. Thank you to them for sharing you with all of La Leche League.
With much LLLove,
Julie Foley and family, New Zealand
"May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you, guide your way on." Thank you for giving us back our children. Your rewards, may they be as nurmorous as the stars. Namaste.
I treasure the twelve years I was a LLL leader. It changed the destiny of my life. Although the family I was raised in taught me how not to be with children, LLL gave me the love, courage, patience, prolacton, and inspiration to be the loving mom I dreamt of being. Edwina, your being will live on in the lives of my three loving children (and my incredible daughter-in-laws), and my five grandchildren (all breastfed a long healthy time). Your love, spirit, knowledge, and fortitude paved the way to help change the world one breastfed baby at a time. You gave me the opportunity to have a loving mother child relationship with my children that I could not have with my parents. I know you have a special place at G-d’s table. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family at this time of loss – thanks to them for lending you out to us on so many occasions.
Dear Edwina,
Our love and prayers go with you and to your family. Discussions of the founding and running of LLLI were an on-going thread of interest and conversation in our home. Both of our parents, Niles and Michael, held you in their hearts and had tremendous respect for you. If they were still here, they would join us in extending their love and prayers.
Willow Newton (Reed), Lees Newton (Stuntz), Edward and Warren Newton
Thank you to Edwina for introducing LLL to so many people around the world. I was luck only 21 years ago to have such supportive friends and family members behind our decision to nurse my children. I was lucky enough to visit Nigeria in March2008 and help new mothers experience their first bonding with their newborns. I was happy to pass on my knowledge and learn a lot from a culture that has been nursing their infants forever. My thoughts and prayers are with the people who grieve.
Rene, Chicago
My family and I thrived under the guidance in the Womanly Art as introduced to us through Judy Good. She spoke fondly of Edwina and shared with us the founding mothers vision of mothering. Thank you to Edwina's family for sharing her with all of us.
Jean Herbeck Carter
I am so grateful that I have been blessed to have spent time and had fun with Edwina. Edwina is truly a woman who has spread love and left a huge legacy to this world. She was able to sprinkle sunshine and joy wherever she went, she never stopped learning or investigating new things or was never too busy to share some jewels of wisdom. Edwina touched thousands of lives and will be so very missed. I'm the richer for knowing her and send my condolences to her beautiful family who she loved so much.
Thanks, Edwina for everything... for all the love you have spread all around the world... for everything you made for me, though you didn't even knew I existed, just building up LLL.... for everything you made for each baby through his mother's milk. Grazie davvero di tutto! Francesca Ferrari. Italy
THANK you Edwina
some of us LLL France leaders were together in a workshop on Sunday when you passed away .. I had my first meeting without the 7 of you my inspirating great ladies behind me in my heart on Monday... for the first time in my LLL life I feel like being an orphan .. I had the joy and privilege to meet you at the 50th anniversary Celebration in Chicago. I will always remember the light in your eyes and your smile.
Thank you for your dream, the power of your hope .. Thanks to you, babies are back in their mothers'arms.
I'm very proud to be LLL Leader, aiming our daily goal: helping mothers.
Rest in peace, with love of so many all around the world.
Flore, ACL for France
My thoughts and prayers are with Edwina's family, as they celebrate her life and begin adjusting to their lives without her presence. I also need to make that adjustment, for even though I know she had a family - after all, she was a mother and a grandmother - somehow she belonged to the world. So, it is if she belonged to me and all the rest of the mothers who benefited from LLLI and benefited even more specifically from knowing her. I feel so blessed to have been able to spend time with her and know her as a person who loved to cook and was an excellent cook, a person who loved the theatre, who liked a glass of wine, who was good at listening, who had a sense of humor, who was practical and sensible, who read my mother's book and sent her a beautiful note, and who attended my mother's funeral. She lived life and was so genuine. I enjoyed her company and I will miss her very much.
Rebecca Magalhaes
here there are some message for Edwina from the mtoher I followed as LLL leader:
"Grazie Edwina, da parte di tutte le mamme che con la tua associazione hanno imparato ad amare l'allattamento."
"Mi unisco anche io ai ringraziamenti ad Edwina. Se non fosse stato per lei e per le sue collaboratrici io non avrei mai saputo che potevo allattare e non avrei mai scoperto una delle emozioni più intense della mia vita.
Ovunque andrai ti porteremo nel cuore, ciao Edwina :cuore "
"Un grazie ed un caro saluto anche da parte mia, e dei miei cuccioli :cuore :cuore"
"GRAZIE,OVUNQUE TU SIA!"
"Grazie
davvero
non so come avrei allattato Alba senza la LLL
e spero di trovare il tempo e avere la capacità di diventare anche io una consulente, perchè tanto avete fatto per me che è giusto che anche io passi questo magico sapere ad altre!"
"anche per me la LLL è stata fondamentale..Paola mi ha sempre aiutata e sostenuta ... quando è nata Alice,quando stavo male ed avevo bisogno di farmaci,quando sono rimasta incinta della Angie-lù e nei primi gg di vita della mia secondogenita :cuore
grazie :ok"
"Un grazie di cuore da me e dalla mia famiglia
Roberta"
"Anche da noi: grazie Edwina!
Sara e Ida :cuore"
"grazie di ciò che hai lasciato! :cuore"
"Grazie! :cuore
mi sono commossa a leggere l'annuncio, sto allattando..e trovo che sia una cosa bellissima e unica.
grazie alla lll per l'aiuto che ci hanno dato
Paola e Francesca"
"Grazie Edwina e grazie a tutti i componenti della LLL da me e da MIA :cuore"
Senza Edwina e le altre sette meravigliose donne fondatrici, non sarei la persona che sono, non avrei provato la gioia di essere madre in un modo diverso, unico, che mi ha trasformata e mi ha permesso di aiutare tante altre donne a trovare la strada per essere madri con attaccamento, attraverso l'allattamento.
GRAZIE DI AVER CAMBIATO LA MIA VITA!!!!
Sorry... I made a mistake while I was typing... I wanted to type: "from the MOTHERS"
You truly made a difference . . . changed lives of babies and mothers, both individually and globally. Thanks.
Thank you, Edwina! You have made the world a better place. You and LLL ignited my lifelong passion to help babies (including my own) to breastfeed.
Sandy
To the family of Edwina,
God bless you and give you the joy in knowing that Edwina did so much good and touched so many lives.
Thank you.
May the Lord bless and keep you Edwina! Your life's work lives on in every breastfeeding mother. Society owes you an enormous debt of gratitude for babies and mommies everywhere.
Larry Gartner said...
Edwina Froehlich was one of the world's great contributors and a remarkably talented and dedicated person. Her contributions to mothers and children were immense. I will miss her greatly. She always lit up a room with her presence and offered a clear view of an issue. I am most grateful to her for all that she did for LLLI and breastfeeding. She left the world a much better place than it would have been without her efforts.
Larry Gartner
To the Froehlich Family,
I join LLL for my first child who was born June 8, 1980 and I became a true mother because of your mother and her friends. I will remember her with affection and admiration. The loss of a mother leaves a emptiness that can be very painful. May you fine solace in your memories and a appreciation for the gifts she left with us all. Thank you for sharing your mother with the world.
Lisa Hedrick, Circleville, Ohio
La Leche League was a great source of support to me in learning to nurse my little ones in the 80's. In the 90's LLL became an important resource for me to refer my midwifery clients to. Finally, last year it was my privilege to meet most of the founders at a gala celebration and fundraiser that Chicago Community Midwives organized to honor the founders for the 50th anniversary. Edwina had a sparkle and wit, yet calm strength and commitment. Thank you, Edwina, and God bless you and your family.
Thank you, Edwina, for what you did and are still doing for thousands and thousands of mothers.
Thank you Edwina for all that you have done.
Muchas gracias desde España a una d e la sfundadodras de un grupo tan fantástico y del qu e soy miembro.
ha vivido una vid amuy larga , segro qu ele dió tiempo a dar mucha guerra!
Eva
Edwina, because of your passion to help mothers around the world, my life has changed. La Leche League started my journey into the precious world of breastfeeding and eventually into breastfeeding counseling. Thank you for all you have done in your lifetime to path the way for women like me. You are a legacy that will NEVER be forgot. My prayers are with your family.
Thank you, Edwina, for all you have done for mothers and babies all over the world;
We shall never forget you.
Roselyne
On behalf of all the Leaders in Great Britain, I send our heartfelt condolances to Edwina's family and the Founding Mothers. I had the priviledge of seeing Edwina in Chicago and hearing her speak, and her strength, love of LLL, and sense of humour was inspiring. Thank you Edwina for being part of a group of women who have made so much different in the world. So many mothers and babies and families have benefited because of the vision of seven women. You will never be forgotten.
Anna, Chair, Council of Directors, La Leche League, GB
"Edwina's passions to protect, promote and support the joy of breastfeeding have sparked generations of leaders... Thank you Edwina for nurturing the future in so many ways...
Anwar Fazal, Chairperson Emeritus,
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action(WABA)"
Here's to a life lived fully. May Edwina's life work and her passion live on in us and our children and their children for a long long time.
Ilana Stein, NYC
When my first child, a daughter, was born in November 1972, Edwina and the other founding mothers were my life-line through The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and my local leaders. When my daughter became a mother in May 2007, her breastfeeding experience was so much different and so much better. Thanks to Edwina for changing the world for the better. My deepest condolences to her family. She lives on through the many, many lives that she touched.
To Edwina's children and grandchildren,
Your mother was loved by so many families all over the world. Our hearts join yours in sadness and also in celebration of the life of this remarkable woman. Edwina will live forever in the babies who received and continue to receive the gift of breastfeeding because of her dedication and commitment.
EDWINA
MERCI Edwina
C'est avec une grande tristesse que nous avons appris que vous nous aviez quittées, et nous voulions témoigner toutes, les 300 animatrices de LLL France, de la fierté qui est la nôtre de poursuivre votre rêve.
Nous vous devons toutes beaucoup : nous sommes heureuses que vous ayiez pu une dernière fois contempler votre oeuvre en nous voyant ensemble réunies, venues des 68 pays où votre Leche League est désormais présente, lors du congrès des 50 ans à Chicago, l'an dernier.
Nous continuons ce que vous avez initié avec vos co-fondatrices, portant avec joie et fierté notre rôle d'animatrices LLL. Chaque réunion LLL que nous tenons est un formidable moment de partage, un intense échange d'informations et d'aide, et un hommage à votre extraordinaire action. A chacune de nos réunions votre souvenir sera présent à nos coeurs.
Nous sommes heureuses de poursuivre ce que vous avez initié, avec votre foi, votre espoir, votre amour et votre enthousiasme de mère. Nous serons dignes de ce magnifique héritage et continuerons de porter votre message, grâce auquel, un bébé à la fois, le monde s'efforce de parier sur l'amour …
Merci
Votre vie fut riche et vous nous avez tant donné, vous nous laissez tellement de force : puissiez -vous reposer en paix, notre profonde admiration, notre affectueuse reconnaissance vous accompagnent.
Flore, ACL
et les 300 animatrices de France
THANK YOU, Edwina.
We are very sad to hear that you have passed away, and all 300 leaders of LLL France would like to tell you how proud we are to continue your dream.
We owe you so much, and are happy to know that you were able to see the result of all your work last summer, when leaders from 68 countries where your La Leche League is present, were united in Chicago at the Conference that celebrated LLL’s 50th anniversary.
We will continue the work that you started with your co-founders, joyful and proud in our role as Leaders.
Every LLL meeting is a wonderful time for sharing, a powerful exchange of information and support, and a tribute to your extraordinary action.
You will stay present in our hearts each time we come together. We are happy to continue what you began, with your faith, your hope, your love and your enthusiasm as a mother.
We will be worthy of that magnificent inheritance, and will carry on with your message, that the world may strive to bet on love, one baby at a time.
Thank you.
Your life was rich and you gave so much, you leave us such strength. May you rest in peace.
Our deep admiration and our affectionate gratitude go with you.
Flore ACL and the three hundred Leaders from France
To Edwina's family,
My sincere sympathy on Edwina's death. Although I never met Edwina, I admired her contribution to mothers and babies the world over, and I always enjoyed the good sense of items she wrote for the old LLL News (in probably the early-1970s). Hers was a life well lived and she made a difference - a positive difference - to so many.
Vale, Edwina!
Virginia Thorley,Australia
Five daughters, nine grandchildren, my husband of 40 years, and I send our prayers and sympathies to the Froehlich family. La Leche League has truly impacted our family in many wonderful ways since 1971. I will always remember Edwina: her loving ways, her strength and intelligence, her tact in difficult situations, her optimism, and her ability to have fun, no matter what the circumstances! Pam Oselka, Michigan USA
Merci Edwina!
Toutes les monitrices de la Ligue La Leche du Canada francophone se joignent au Conseil d'administration pour vous remercier, Edwina, pour le bel organisme que vous avez contribué à mettre sur pied, à une époque où l'allaitement se faisait rare et où les mères avaient, plus que jamais, besoin du soutien d'autres mères pour réussir à allaiter leur enfant. Grâce à vous et à toutes les mères fondatrices de la Leche League International, à chaque année, des dizaines de milliers de mères du Québec ou d’ailleurs au Canada français obtiennent du soutien pour réussir à allaiter une semaine, un mois, un an et même plus leur enfant. Les mères que vous avez contribué à aider et toutes les monitrices d'hier et d'aujourd'hui vous sont reconnaissantes de tout ce que vous avez fait depuis plus de 50 ans pour soutenir les mères qui désirent allaiter et materner par l'allaitement. Merci pour tout! Nous continuerons de porter bien haut le flambeau de la Ligue La Leche et à soutenir les mères qui désirent allaiter.
Toutes nos sympathies aux membres de votre famille et à vos amis proches. Nos pensées vous accompagnent durant cette période de tristesse !
Au nom de toutes les monitrices du Canada francophone,
Le Conseil d'administration de la Ligue La Leche
Nathalie Arguin, présidente
Marie Beaudoin, vice-présidente
Élisabeth Boily, administratrice
Marie-Claude Couture, trésorière
Mylène Schryburt, secrétaire
I found out just now that Edwina had died. Something made me check the LLL site. My involvement with LLL began in 1973 with the birth of my first child. I became a leader in 1976 after the birth of my second. Four more children followed over the years. I met Edwina on a few occasions and had a chance to chat with her. Before I even met her I "knew" her and getting to know her a little in person was just wonderful. She was such a confident, strong personality, and warm and friendly to all.
I'm glad to see she lived to a good old age -- it seems to fit her. My good wishes go to her family. Thank you for sharing your mother with the world.
Post a Comment