By Jennifer Ersalesi
The 9th Annual Remembrance Game took place at Diamond 5 at Memorial Field on Saturday, October 5th. Patrick Francke began this annual fall tradition to honor the many loved ones from Rutherford who passed away, many at a young age. This year Sistar Mortgage and Allstate Insurance Company (Dan and Kristin Meredith) teamed up to sponsor the event. All of the money raised at the event will be given as a donation to the Rutherford Recreation Department in Barbara Bennett’s name. Barbara was an avid supporter of this event and this year her family came together to remember her and participate. Her family and friends wore matching red t-shirts, as supporters and players. The t-shirts said, "Barbara Bennett: Our Guardian Angel. Your happiness was a gift to all." Keri Bennett Romano (Barbara’s daughter) told TIR, “It was great to get my family together for this event. My mom made it a point to be here every year.”
Jessica Maldonado of Sistar Mortgage wanted to be part of this event to honor her mother, Kathleen Wilson Bumpass, who passed away in 2017. Jessica explained, “My mom used to read a poem called “The Dash” by Linda Ellis. This year I am reading it in her place. I feel like this is a very important day for many of us in town and I wanted to bring more awareness to this event.”
Friends and family enjoyed playing softball together on a perfect fall day. During the game, a Rutherford Remembrance List was read. Names of individuals from Rutherford who passed away over the years were submitted by their friends and family and read aloud.
Kristin Meredith of Allstate Insurance Company told TIR, “This is a great community event and we wanted to work with Sista Mortgage. We are happy that the proceeds will be used to benefit the Rutherford Recreation Department in Barbara Bennett’s name.”
