‘Heaven dates’: Central Oregon mothers turn suicide grief into action

Mothers from Redmond, Madras, Terrebonne form nonprofit, continue work reaching out to others who face suicide loss A year after Julie Leutschaft’s son, Kiefer, died by suicide in 2021 she attended the funeral of another 26-year-old, Tegan. Someone close to the family had reached out to Leutschaft following Tegan’s death. Leutschaft asked if she could attend the graveside funeral. “When that happens to your family, it’s cataclysmic,” Leutschaft said. “You don’t know where to turn. You feel very alone. You don’t even know that there are resources out there.” After some time passed, Leutschaft, who lives in Redmond, reached out to Tegan’s mother Mary Jo Brunner, of Madras, with encouraging words and told her to give herself grace. She also welcomed Brunner to join her grief group at St. Charles Redmond. Six months earlier, Leutschaft had received a call from a mother who had also lost a 26-year-old daughter to suicide. Having both worked for St.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.