PEABODY — Two months after the sudden death of Lynn native Molly Ramsay, loved ones continue to support her family and keep her beautiful spirit alive.
In April, Ramsay died of complications while giving birth to newborn twins Logan and Theresa. She leaves behind the twins, her three-year-old daughter Olivia, and her husband Brian.
“Molly and I were friends for a long time and she was the type of friend that just made you feel good to be around her,” said Nicole DiStefano, of Peabody. “Her heart was big and her laugh was contagious, and I’m incredibly lucky to have had a friend like Molly.”
Close friends of Ramsay have been continuous in their efforts of collecting donations and money for her husband and their three children. The week of her death, Bailey Bollen, and her husband Matthew, created an online donation page that has reached $42,000 of their $50,000 goal in only two months.
“Any of the money will be put towards childcare needs, paying for the overnight nurse Brian has in order to get some sleep, and allowing him the ability to pay his bills so he can continue to heal,” said Bollen. “This is an ongoing process with Brian and the kids from a fiscal standpoint, so anything we can give to them makes it one less thing they need to worry about.”
Bollen, DiStefano, and another longtime friend of Ramsay’s, Katie Rebidue Homen, have spent the last month organizing a fundraiser that will honor Molly’s life as well as provide support for her family.
“Katie has been leading the charge on this organization,” said Bollen. “I think between myself, Katie, and Nicole, we knew we wanted to do more to honor Molly’s legacy as well as there’s been such a great outpouring of support from everyone we talked to, so we wanted an opportunity for people to continue to help out.”
The fundraiser will offer baskets from various local businesses to be auctioned off along with art pieces from local artists to be sold during a silent auction. There will also be music provided by a DJ and a karaoke machine for attendees to enjoy while honoring Ramsay, who was known as the karaoke queen, according to her friends.
The fundraiser will be Friday, July 13 from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Holy Ghost Society in Peabody. The address is 20 Howley St. and tickets can be purchased on the Eventbrite web page for $25. The tickets include access to the provided cash bar and a free meal catered from a number of local restaurants.
“We were both pregnant together and we always said how fun it would be to raise our children together,” said DiStefano. “I will make sure that happens because we still are family.”
The three women are still searching for more businesses eager to contribute anything they can, whether it be raffle baskets, food, cases of water or supplies for the event. There has been an outpouring of support from the community, but still more is needed to help Brian provide for the three children he and Molly’s father, John Bishop, are raising on their own. Please contact [email protected] for any inquiries.
“I talked to John and he continuously says how this whole tragedy has really gotten him to believe in the goodness of other humans again,” said Bollen. “They’ve seen so much outpouring of support, so this fundraiser is just another avenue to have for people who still want to help out and contribute.”
