Papa and the family have no words to express the gratitude we feel in our hearts for the Bismarck-Mandan Retired Teachers Association. They were one of our first volunteer groups three decades ago to help with the many field trips that bring children to Papa’s Pumpkin Patch each fall. Today, they are honoring Mrs. P in a truly special way.

The Retired Teachers Association will present copies of Every Pumpkin Is Perfect to the library media specialists in the area so each school will have Papa’s story available to children. The books are being given in Mrs. P’s memory. (Here’s a link to the KFYR TV story about Mrs. P and the presentation.)

Mrs. P is the affectionate name we give to Suzie Pearce — our mom, grandmother, mother-in-law, friend and confidante. She passed away during the final week of Papa’s Pumpkin Patch in 2014 after scheduling thousands of field trips for more than 150,000 children during the first 32 years at Papa’s.

Truly we say thank you to the Retired Teachers Association for remembering Mrs. P in this way!

Papa