Southport Magazine

Dealing with grief is difficult, even when the loved one lost isn’t blood family. When Maureen Panko, one of the employees at Mad River Studio and Store in Southport, lost her life to cancer, owner Gwen Tanner found a way to turn the loss she and her co-workers felt into help for some of the most vulnerable. 

Tanner reached out to one of her long-time jewelry suppliers, J. Mills Studio, and commissioned a necklace designed to celebrate the life of Maureen. The piece features five freshwater pearls representing the things that were important to Maureen: Love, Faith, Kindness, Friendship, and Dancing. A miniature pearl placed above the others represents Maureen looking down and remaining with her friends and loved ones. The necklace has a name special to its honoree. “It’s called Starshine because one Maureen’s favorite greetings was ‘Good morning starshine,’” Tanner said. 

All proceeds from the sales of the Starshine necklace are being donated to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Maureen’s memory. Necklace sales began in January, and in May the first donation was made in the amount of $11,578 from the sale of 170 necklaces.

Tanner said she chose St. Jude as the recipient of the necklace proceeds because it was Maureen’s favorite charity. “She had been a preschool teacher for years, so I think she just had a soft spot for children,” she said. 

Tanner said the Maureen had worked at the store for six years after stopping in and asking for a job. “She came in one day and told me she had lots of experience in retail and really wanted to work at Mad River. I couldn’t resist her charm and straightforwardness.”

That charm made her a favorite among the store’s customers, and when the Starshine necklace sales began, Tanner said the response was overwhelming. “Each person who came in to see or purchase the Starshine necklace had a story to tell about Maureen. Reliving all those memories with really helped work through our grief,” Tanner said, adding “We plan to continue to sell the the Starshine necklace as long as Mad River is open. And we’ll continue to give the proceeds to St Jude’s.”