Those who struggle with mental illness must not be cast aside by society and overlooked.

That was the key message of Wednesday's Remembrance & Celebration of Life Rally at the Grapevine Center in Butler. And the friends and relatives of seven people celebrated at the event aimed to ensure their loved ones were never forgotten.

The annual event brought together employees and clients of the Butler-based mental health recovery center who were joined by family and friends of seven clients who died within the past year. But out of sadness came the celebration of the lives and memories of those lost.

Family members of the deceased approached the microphone one at a time, sharing their thoughts on their late relatives and their struggles with mental illness as well.

Stephanie H. Workman traveled to the event from Morganton, N.C., to honor her only child, 49-year-old Nikole Tarr, who was a client at the center and died Aug. 4.

Workman spoke eloquently of her daughter's love for people and animals, and her penchant for helping any living creature great or small.

“Nikole would help anybody,” Workman said. “She especially didn't like to see young people lost.”

Workman recalled a young Nikole rescuing all types of animals and bringing them home to recover. On one occasion, her daughter showed her a jar full of spiders she was proud to have caught.

“They were black widows,” Workman said.

The grieving mother had advice for all who attended the celebration.

“I encourage you to love your children, no matter what they do or what they say,” Workman said. “We have no idea when God's clock stops for us.”

Tarr's daughters, Butler residents Bobbie and Stephanie Brown, also spoke of their mother's compassion and care for others.

“She was always taking care of the next person instead of herself,” Stephanie said.

Bobbie Brown recalled her mother taking in destitute children to feed and clothe.

“She was definitely known as Big Mama,” Stephanie said. “She was just there for all the kids.”

But as big as Tarr's personality was on one hand, Stephanie Brown also recalled her mother's ability to hide her struggles with mental illness.

“I just wanted you guys to know the strength she had,” Stephanie said through tears.

Tom Turner, a certified peer specialist at the Grapevine Center, recalled 71-year-old Muriel Bess Dietrich, who died in March.

Dietrich was Turner's first client at the center. She was living in a group home on South Washington Street after her release from a state hospital when they first met.

“She was the nicest person you could possibly meet,” Turner said.

He recalled Dietrich's elation at meeting her goal of getting her own apartment, and her ability to whip up the best coffee when he visited.

“Her coping skill was walking,” Turner said. “She kind of trudged, but she liked to walk around Butler in the early morning.”

Eventually, Dietrich moved into a nursing home where her daily needs could be met.

“I loved her to death,” Turner said. “I hope today she's still trudging along the road of happy destiny.”

Mike Dowell remembered his mother, Vickie Beachem, who died in hospice care at age 68 in December 2018.

He said his mom was a single mother who provided him and his sister with everything they needed by working between 60 and 65 hours per week for multiple employers.

“She was the hardest- working woman I ever met in my life,” Dowell said. “She worked morning, noon and night.”

He said Beachem beat cancer the first time, but was unable to overcome the illness after her second diagnosis.

“She was still making sure everyone was taken care of,” Dowell said of his mother's time in hospice care.

Others celebrated at the Grapevine Center included Bobby Fair, Ginny Glatz, Chuck Holmes and Michael Vrabel.

County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, who worked in the mental health field for years, gave the keynote speech and presented a county proclamation to Bette Peoples, executive director of the Grapevine Center.

Boozel considers the county unique in its number of services provided to the mentally ill and addicted individuals. He said the commissioners are dedicated to seeing services continue, but pointed out how citizens must also pitch in by not stigmatizing those with mental illness and recognizing that every person has value.

“It's up to us as a community to make sure we step up and we're accepting,” Boozel said. “We need to move past the idea that people are 'lesser than.'”

Recounting his days on the task force that moved those living in state hospitals from the institutional setting back into regular society, Boozel said it was easy to help set up their lives because funds were available and the program had excellent support.

Because support has largely dried up since then, many people with mental illness now find themselves incarcerated. Participant Dee Fields also lamented how mentally ill individuals can wind up in jail when no options for housing or recovery are available.

“The whole system has been punitive and it doesn't work,” Fields said.

She said Butler County needs a place for the homeless and mentally ill to stay — without being placed on a waiting list — where they can resocialize themselves or learn to live without drugs and prepare for employment.

Fields said it is counterproductive for a recovering addict or homeless person trying to improve themselves to live in squalor, dehumanized and cast aside.

Peoples summed up the thoughts of all attendees, telling the crowd that “We know the value in people with mental illness. Let's let the community know how much they have to offer.”