Bears of Honor: Turning Uniforms Into Lasting Memories for Gold Star Families

Those in the military or law enforcement know all too well how quickly things can go wrong, and someone ends up making the ultimate sacrifice. When tragedy happens so suddenly, families are often left searching for a way to hold the memories close. Keri Sommer has found a small but profound way to help families during this most difficult time. She and her husband, Lee, have formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Bears of Honor, to gift Gold Star families teddy bears using the soldier’s or officer’s uniform.

As a five-generation family of dedicated Military, Law Enforcement, and First Responders, they know this loss personally. A dear friend and coworker, Lauren, passed in the line of duty. Keri wanted to do something for her three children. Making teddy bears came naturally as she had been making them since she received a kit when she and Lee were dating. At that time, she sold them at craft fairs, gave them as gifts, and it became a passionate hobby. Now it’s become a passion project.

Each hand-crafted teddy bear starts with the news. Keri works with Survivor Outreach with the Army and A Soldier’s Child. They will reach out to let families know about the project. As her program becomes more well-known, she’s finding that the project is often arranged by women’s groups or someone who worked with the person who passed away. It was a wives’ group that reached out to her about making teddy bears for an officer killed in the line of duty in Atlanta last August, who left behind his wife, two children, and another on the way.

When she hears of a tragedy on the news, such as the police officers killed in an ambush in Pennsylvania in late September, she will reach out. In this case, she contacted the police chief to let him know of her program.

Making Bears of Honor

Keri will talk with the family or people who can provide details that help personalize the teddy bears she creates, such as eye color or anything fun or unusual. For instance, one officer continually wore non-regulation Patagonia t-shirts. The bears created for his children also wore the same t-shirts. She will include patches and pockets from the uniform and make them as memorable as possible.

She then receives the precious uniform to be used. It takes about two weeks of full-time work to create the teddy bears for each project. During that time, Keri carefully measures and remeasures to ensure the cuts to the uniform are correct. Everything she makes is crafted with heirloom-quality materials. Additionally, she adds fusible stabilizer backing to prevent rips and tears from occurring. Knowing that teddy bears may be well-loved by children, she checks every stitch to ensure they will hold up to the test of time. In addition, she only uses high-quality stuffing, joints, and fur.

Raising Funds

Using the quality materials costs, and that’s where the non-profit aspect comes in. Neither Keri nor Lee wants the family to pay a dime for this gift. They even reimburse the cost of shipping the uniform. By the time all is said and done, each bear costs between $150 and $200, including shipping. Keri naturally donates her time, care, and attention to detail.

Keri makes regular Teddy Bears she sells at the Wild West Arts Fest during 4th of July week here in Cody. When people learn of the program, they generously buy and donate. All proceeds go to raise funds for Bears of Honor. With their non-profit status, though, they can also receive direct donations. Plus, it has qualified them to be one of the recipients of The Festival of Trees this year.

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About Keri and Lee Sommer

Keri and Lee retired and have settled here in Cody, coming from South Florida. There, Keri taught elementary school for 25 years. Lee retired from law enforcement. They looked at many places out West in Wyoming and Montana, and also considered making their home in Tennessee. But after much deliberation, they decided Cody felt the most comfortable place and called it home. Lee now works as the Board Administrator for the Wyoming State Shooting Complex, and Keri is a full time STEM teacher at Livingston Elementary.

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