Teddy bear made from late ‘Mammie’s jacket’ found at Goodwill
By Daniel Smithson
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COOKEVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — A teddy bear made from a grandmother’s jacket — found at a Goodwill in Cookeville — could soon be back in the hands of its family with the help of a Facebook group.
Regena Moreno posted two photos of the teddy bear Saturday on “Hip Cookeville,” a Facebook group with nearly 50,000 members. Moreno said in the post she was looking for the teddy bear’s family. “Mammie’s Jacket 3/24/1928 – 6/21/1996″ is stitched on the back of the bear.
“I found this sweet boy at Goodwill today and was heartbroken when I saw the back. Looking for his family but will be his new family if nobody knows him. He was made from Mammie’s Jacket,” the post said.
Moreno said she and her husband went to the Goodwill in Cookeville to purchase beanie hats and gloves for the local homeless. When they were walking through the toy section, her husband noticed the bear because of its vibrant colors. So, Moreno picked it up and was heartbroken to find a bear with such meaning at a Goodwill. It’s unclear at this time how it got there.
“There was not a price on it, and the gentleman working wanted to take it for reprocessing,” Moreno said. “My husband said, ‘You don’t understand. This belongs to someone, and we are taking it home.’ So, he let us take it to the cashier, and we were able to save him.”
She then posted pictures of the teddy bear to Hip Cookeville in an effort to try to find “Mammie’s” family. The Facebook group quickly tracked down a potential family by using obituaries.
The group believes “Mammie” could be a woman from Glasgow, Kentucky. Her family has been contacted, and Moreno is waiting for a response.
“My father passed away a couple of years ago, and I know how I would’ve felt if it would have been his,” Moreno said. “I had to find the bear’s home. If not. I would give him a home. So now the bear is in my living room waiting for his family to claim him. I am hopeful since the (Facebook community) has found Mammie’s family that we will hear from them soon.”
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