Tulsa Sculptor Honors Husband After He Loses Battle With Cancer

A Tulsa sculptor is honoring her husband’s memory outside the hospice care facility where he lost his battle with cancer.

The statue is part of a bigger project that's being driven by Oklahoma donors and volunteers.

Catherine Johnston knows her grief journey will likely never come to an end, and the statue that was installed at Clarehouse this week is a part of it.

After losing her husband, Roger, in 2013 following a brief but intense fight with prostate cancer, Johnston picked up her four-decade love of sculpting.

"He was an amazing guy. Was always working - never sick a day in his life," she said of her husband.

At the outset, Johnston didn't know what her work would become - a person, animal, or something else.

"When I was finished I looked at it and I said, 'It's letting go. It's releasing your loved one," she said.

She named it Hope, which is now the centerpiece of the Memorial Garden, whose landscape will be maintained by volunteers.

The Memorial Wall was conceived by an Eagle Scout; the Chapel was donated and built by volunteer hands, and the Labyrinth, where anyone can come, meditate and grieve.

It is still a work zone at the Memory Garden, but, it's about the most peaceful one you'll ever find.

They do still have to landscape, sod, and install a bench near the wall before they dedicate the space.

Melissa Taylor with Clarehouse said, "It's amazing. We have so many wonderful donors that give it back and just to have Catherine come and do something like this for us just means the world."

"From the minute you walk in the door, they take care of you. I'm just one small piece," Johnston said.

Clarehouse said they hope to dedicate the Memory Garden later this spring.