Late Marietta Woman To Be Honored At 2019 Rose Parade

MARIETTA, GA -- A local woman will be honored in the 130th annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year's Day. Teresa Ann Donnelly will be part of the Donate Life's "Rhythm of the Heart" float. The float will feature 44 floragraph portraits made of floral and natural materials that honor the lives of deceased organ donors.

The floragraph will unveiled this week at H.M. Patterson & Son's Canton Hill Chapel. H.M. Patterson & Son is a Dignity Memorial provider and is working with LifeLink of Georgia to honor Donnelly.

Her family said Teresa – better known as Terri, to her loved ones – was a loving mother, compassionate nurse and eldest sister of seven. Her passion for others led her to pursue a nursing degree and career with Sunrise Assisted Living for almost two decades. In her personal life, her four children and three grandchildren kept her busy with sporting events, recitals and activities.

She passed away in 2017.

For millions of people around the world, the Rose Parade is an iconic New Year’s Day tradition. It Rose Parade travels 5 ½ miles and features four types of entries: floral-decorated floats entered by a participating corporation, non-profit organization or municipality, equestrian units, bands, and Tournament Entries.

The earliest Tournament of Roses welcomed 3,000 spectators to its first parade filled with horse-drawn carriages covered in flowers. In 1890, Valley Hunt Club members, led by Charles Frederick Holder, sponsored the first Tournament of Roses. The abundance of flowers, even in the midst of winter, prompted the club to add a parade before the competition, where entrants would decorate carriages with hundreds of colorful blooms.

“In New York, people are buried in snow,” announced Professor Charles F. Holder at a Club meeting. “Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let’s hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.”

This year's parade theme is the Melody of Life, and the 2019 grand marshal is singer and songwriter Chaka Khan.

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Image used with family permission