where healing grows
Who is Mama SanDee?
Mama was a force. She loved so fiercely; she saw the hurt in others and was willing to literally give the shirt off her back to help. She was a mom, grandma, and great-grand-mama but before all of that she became a wife. Mama met Papa at a very young age and fell madly in love. Mama was so much a mom and wife at a tender young age, she did the best she could to be perfect, and while none of us ever can be truly perfect she put all her efforts into doing so.
Mama never met a stranger, she was always tickled when she was able to make a connection, even shortly before her passing she told the story about being able to connect with some people at the store when she in her limited Spanish vocabulary, was able to make them feel seen. She was so proud of that.
I know everybody talks about how special their mom is. And they are not wrong. But Mama SanDee was special in ways that no one may ever fully understand except maybe those closest to her.
Some things people should know about Mama: first she loved God and Jesus so much. She was such a prayer warrior. The woman would literally break out into a conversation with God mid-sentence while talking to someone! Any time anyone ever needed prayer, Mama was on it! And man-o-man did God hear her!!!
Our Mission
At Mama SanDee’s Flower Garden our mission is to bring help in healing to those who are suffering from the loss of a loved one by giving them support needed as well as a place to plant a flower in honor and remembrance of their loved one. We are a place where healing grows.
We are here to assist the community in healing through peer support groups in general grief support as well as survivors of suicide support groups. We also offer individual and couples grief support.
Often in this Ministry people will say how they feel so alone and did not realize there are others who can and do understand their pain. This can make an individual feel very isolated and as if they have no one to talk to. The peer support groups offer a safe place for individuals to meet in a group setting with others who do understand. Just knowing you are not alone can help you on your path to healing.
We hold our meetings in a comfortable in-home setting rather than a sterile office or clinical setting. We believe this helps people to open up as they share the burden and heal from their grief.
We offer these services free of charge through the generosity and commitment of businesses and individuals funding the Ministry, so money is never an obstacle in receiving support as you grieve.
I HAVE A PLAN
In December of 2024, my wife and I traveled to Alaska to be with family over Christmas. We had a wonderful time making beautiful memories.
On our return trip home, we had boarded the flight out of Anchorage and shortly after my wife SanDee suffered a massive heart attack. The flight was diverted to Juneau Alaska, from there we were taken by Life Flight back to Anchorage where despite all the life saving measures my wife passed away.
After losing my wife of 60 years I was a bit lost. Going through the motions and emotions of putting together a small celebration of life I was not sure what my next steps would be. We (SanDee and I) had been living in Kentucky for many years by this time. Now, I was in Alaska and unsure if I were to sell the beautiful home SanDee and I had created together or stay here surrounded by family. There were so many decisions to be made, and I was not sure where to begin other than reaching out to God who I knew was always faithful to provide me the direction I needed. And that is just what I did.
And I heard from Him, clearly, I was to return to the home I shared with SanDee. I was also to return to the Ministry. After years of having stepped away to care for my wife God wanted me to return to helping other people in their time of grief. He gave me a clear picture of what I was to do. I was to build this Ministry in honor and remembrance of SanDee. I was to open the doors of our home as a place of healing. This was to be a garden where people who had lost loved ones would come and plant flowers in their honor, along the pathway leading to the doors where we will be holding group sessions as well as individual grief support. He gave me a plan.
This plan was confirmed to me shortly after when I decided to listen to one of my wife’s favorite Ministers one morning, he was speaking on the need to have a plan, I knew this was God reassuring me that He indeed had given me this plan and He was going to honor and grow this Ministry in remembrance of Mama SanDee.
Meet The Facilitator
CMC Bert McQueen
Chaplain Bert McQueen is a Certified Master Chaplain with over 40 years’ experience. In that time Chaplain McQueen founded and oversaw two successful nonprofit Ministries in the state of Alaska. He was the Executive Director of The Alaska Trauma Center as well as the Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains Ministries until his retirement in 2015. In his time with the Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains Ministries he was the Director of Pastoral Care for two hospitals and built a team of over one hundred Chaplains statewide in a non-profit that is still going strong today.
Chaplain McQueen has experience in multi-level pastoral care and has completed Master Level training in Traumatic stress, Grief and Crisis Management.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Counseling from World Harvest Bible Training Center as well as Master in Chaplaincy from the International Conference of Police Chaplains and holds an MA with a major in Social Work.
He has been recognized for “Outstanding Civic Achievement” by the Municipality of Anchorage and was awarded the Presidents Volunteer Service Award in 2020.
Not only is Chaplain McQueen highly qualified he also has a warm and endearing nature which puts people at ease and allows them to open up in their most vulnerable moments, helping them to begin the healing process.
