Aug 30, 2018 3 min read

The monarch butterfly fluttered its wings and clung to Marissa Bruhn’s palm after she opened up the white packet to release it.

After a few moments, the butterfly took flight as Marissa and her mother, Josie, looked on.

The moment brought some peace to Josie Bruhn, whose mother, Marguerite Pasqualucci, died in a house fire on Christmas Day 2017.

“Today’s eight months exactly since she died, and I thought the butterfly release was a very good idea,” said Bruhn. “It makes me feel like it will get to her and let her know I love her.”

The Bruhns were among the more than 125 people who attended the butterfly release, a gathering to remember lost loved ones. The event, held Sunday at The Barn at Ike’s Place in Amity, was hosted by Concordia Hospice of Washington.

“The purpose is to honor and celebrate the lives of loved ones who have gone before us,” said Joyce Robinson, a social worker and volunteer coordinator at Concordia who organized the event.

During the butterfly release, more than 530 butterflies in white packets were handed out to attendees. Following the brief program, which included music and poetry readings, the group headed outside to let their butterflies loose.

Nicholas and Randi Lee Capenos of Washington attended the butterfly release with their daughter, Lillee, and other family members to remember two daughters the Capenoses lost to miscarriages.

Nicholas said the butterfly release was a memorable way for him and his family to grieve their loss.

“We are here because of the two miscarriages that we had. We released butterflies in the girls’ names, Hope and Faith,” said Nicholas. “It was very interesting how releasing them made you feel a sense of joy that you might not have felt before. You wouldn’t think releasing a butterfly would make you feel like that. It makes you feel maybe a little at peace with what happened.”

Pastor Linda Mankey of East Buffalo Presbyterian Church, who gave the blessing, said the butterfly represents the cycle of life.

“It represents the cycle of each of our lives as we go through the many stages of growing,” said Mankey.

Vanessa Reese of Washington purchased butterflies to release in memory of her late parents, Clayton and Mary Jane Hanning, two other relatives and a family friend.

“It’s a celebration of life,” said Reese. “I want our loved ones to know these butterflies represent their lives, and how much we care about them, and that we hope to someday meet them in heaven.”

In addition to the butterfly release, the event featured face painting and crafts for children who attended.

Said Marissa Bruhn after she released a butterfly for her grandmother’s dog, Snoopy, who also died in the fire, “I thought (the butterfly release) might be kind of lame, but it’s actually uplifting to see them all go.”