Jul. 9—The idea came to Joe Tracy at a local grief share group he attended after losing his wife, Kathy. He wanted to create a space to help widows start living again after getting through their darkest moments of grief.

But Tracy was diagnosed with a terminal illness in October, so he and the members of his grief group had to get to work.

"We had to stop talk and start shop, so by December, Loss of Spouse Sanctuary (LOSS) was incorporated and we had our first board of directors," said Pamela Cone, LOSS President. "In January, we got started formulating activities, events, etc."

The group has held several events during the last six months, from enjoying live music to sit-together studies, game nights, dinners and more. Cone said the group has become a place for people to get together and enjoy themselves with others who understand their grief.

Debbie Lyons, publicity and public faces director, met Tracy through the grief program, and they became connected by their commonality in losing a spouse. Lyons said Tracy was passionate about creating a community of people who knew how he felt.

"He was just lonely," Lyons said. "He had this way of having great big dreams and big goals, and he would just go with it and you would get so enthused and caught up with his passion that you would just roll with. So it became a little tiny mustard seed that Joe kept rolling between Pam and I."

LOSS, which is a nonprofit, accepts donations to be able to operate and plan events for members. With many of the directors being widows, the members have found a greater purpose through the group by providing a resource for the community.

"The loss of a spouse is your right hand is gone, there's a big hole in your heart that never heals, and so we come together to support each other, to be there," Lyons said. "That has been the biggest help for me was the connection with other people who understood my feelings. Because people don't know what to say to a grieving widow or widower, they do not know, and we do."

Tracy left his property to the group, which includes a massive game room for members to gather and a large plot of land for things like a memory garden to be implemented soon. The plentiful space leaves endless opportunities for the community he created before his death.

There are about 30 members currently, but the group is continuously growing.

"They build relationships and it's a different kind of a group but they love it is all I can say," Lyons said. "They're always saying, 'When is our next activity?' And it just brings us closer to each other and to God and to a community of people of like minds."