EUGENE, Ore. — Two sisters are determined to bring their late mother’s dream to life by publishing her children’s books.<\/p>\n
Jill Bartholomaus was tragically shot and killed by her estranged husband in 2005. At the time, Jessie was a 21-year-old college student but dropped out of school to take care of her 11-year-old sister Molly. The sisters recently discovered that their mother had eight children\u2019s stories tucked away in a manila envelope along with cover letters for publishers. Molly and Jessie are working to give their mother a voice once more. They believe this effort is a way to reclaim some of Jill’s power that domestic violence had silenced, as well as a way to honor their mother\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n
“It was still important for her,\u201d said Molly Johnson, Jill\u2019s daughter. \u201cAnd something she wanted to pursue until the time she died and, because of that, we feel like her dream didn’t belong in a closet which is where it was.\u201d<\/p>\n