When Deidre Gerrits was just finishing up high school, she lost her mother to a pulmonary embolism — she was obviously heartbroken. “We told each other everything, and she was a parent to a lot of my friends, as well. It was different, navigating life without her. She was the rock of my family with my dad,” said Gerrits, who hails from Clinton. Just as life was getting back on track, she lost her father to a heart attack, in March of this year. “We were super close. I know it’s very cliche to say that you’re friends with your parents, but it really was like that,” said the now 25 year old. Amidst her grief, Gerrits found the clarity to document all the intricate and sometimes confusing details surrounding a loved one’s death, that no one told her would fall in her lap. Things like probate, executors, and estate organization. “It’s overwhelming, especially if there’s not many siblings or not many people that are going to be making those decisions. So when my dad passed away, it was all on me. I’m an only child. I didn’t have anyone else to make the decisions with. There were lots of family friends helping me, but, realistically, it all fell on me,” she said. All those unexpected decisions led Gerrits to consider that she might not be alone in feeling overwhelmed. So, she decided to write a book about her experience, titling it, bluntly, “My Parents Died,” from funeral planning and legal paperwork to emotional grief and healing. “I want it to be something that can be talked about more, because when it’s talked about more, then people feel more comfortable supporting people through grief. Otherwise, it’s almost like an elephant in the room that no one’s talking about. I want it to be more, more comfortable. Sharing, and talking so people can be supported so that no one really feels alone during this process,” she said. Gerrits said her book can be found at select Huron County retailers, as well as on Amazon. “It’s never been about the book being super successful or making a ton off of it. I truly hope that it’s helped other people with that experience. After a parent or someone close to them passes away, just all of those decisions that need to be made,” she added.
