WSU presented the 2006 Mom of the Year Award to Priscilla F. Speicher during the annual Mom’s Weekend Brunch on Saturday, April 8. A resident of Fox Island, Speicher was nominated by her daughter, Susan E. Speicher, a freshman at WSU with an interest in pre-med.
Speicher is described by her daughter as “always being a mother, even before she gave birth to her children.” When her oldest daughter was born with cerebral palsy, Speicher gave up her job as a nurse to home school her daughter. “My sister is now 21 and able to walk, talk, speak, read well and has her high school diploma,” her daughter said. Speicher also supported her daughter Susan’s decision to continue her higher education at WSU after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Her daughter wrote in the nomination that her mother has lived her life as an example of how she should live hers. “She has taught me, by word and quiet example, that respect bridges all conflicts and is the key to happiness.”
The Mom of the Year 2006 has worked 20 years as a nurse in Washington State. Her daughter said Speicher has impacted every community she has been involved in by working with children in psychiatric and burn units, helping children of Cambodian, Vietnamese and Samoan immigrants, and teaching families about abuse and how to nurture and love their children.
The other three finalists for the Mom of the Year Award were Karen Curry of Pullman, nominated by her daughter Theresa Curry; Debbie Daumen of Langley, nominated by her daughter Jennifer Barrow; and Ernestina Mendez of Othello, nominated by her daughter Veronica Mendez.
The Mom of the Year Award is coordinated by the Mom’s Weekend Committee under the direction of the Women’s Resource Center. The award is presented each year to recognize the impact mothers make on their children’s lives, and to honor their personal achievements and their contributions to their local and WSU communities.
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