Mrs.Wilhelmina Beerenfenger-Koehler of Embrun, Ontario, was the 2007 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2007, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On October 2, 2003, her son, Corporal Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger, was killed while on patrol when his jeep ran over an explosive device, near Kabul, Afghanistan. He was serving with the 3^rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group.

Mrs. Beerenfenger-Koehler was born in Leiden, Holland, and immigrated to Canada as a child with her parents and three brothers. She attended Champlain High School in Ottawa (West). In 2000, she was widowed when her husband, Andreas Koehler, passed away.

Mrs. Beerenfenger-Koehler is employed with Evripos which provides contractual services to the Department of National Defence at the former CFB Ottawa (Uplands).

Mrs. Avril Dianna Stachnik of Waskateneau, Alberta, was named the 2008 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2008, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On September 3, 2006, her son, Sergeant Shane Hank Stachnik, a combat military engineer, was killed in an ambush while leading his section during Operation Medusa; a ground offensive against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

Mrs. Stachnik was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and attended Jasper Place Composite High School. In 1971 she married Hank Stachnik. Together, they raised two children, Shane and Deanna.

In an interview, she relayed what an honour it was to be chosen to represent the mothers and families of fallen solider and commented on her son. "Shane was just a regular guy. He didn’t put on any false airs, but he was a good leader and a good role model; very kind and personable."

The passage of time is helping to ease the burden of their son’s death but Mrs. Stachnik says, “You never forget. You’re always thinking about him.”

Mrs. Della Marie Morley of East Saint Paul, Manitoba, was the 2009 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2009, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On September 18, 2006, her son, Corporal Keith Ian Morley, was killed by a suicide bicycle bomber while on foot patrol in Afghanistan. He was serving with A Company, 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry from Shilo, Manitoba.

Originally from Elkhorn, Mrs. Morley attended school there and in Virden before going to study at Western Christian College in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. She married Russel Morley and they raised two children, Keith and Shannon Jaye. Widowed in 2003, she later remarried Fred Duna.

Mrs. Mabel Girouard, from Bathurst, New Brunswick, was the 2010 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2010, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On November 27, 2006, her son, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Michel Girouard, serving as the regimental sergeant major for the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, was killed by a suicide car bomber while on duty near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Mrs. Girouard was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, and attended Bouctouche High School. In August 1959, she married Vincent Girouard and they had three children, Pierre Joseph, Charles Vincent and Robert Michel.

Mrs. Girouard is retired from New Brunswick Telephone where she was employed as a telephone operator and office worker.

Mrs. Patricia Braun of Raymore, Saskatchewan was the 2011 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2011, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On August 22, 2006, her son, Corporal David Braun, a member of the 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based out of Shilo, Manitoba, was killed by a suicide bomber while on patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Mrs. Braun, originally of Semans, is a graduate of Margaret McClumb School and the University of Saskatchewan. She and her husband, Blaine, raised four children—David, Diana, Christopher and Michael. In 1994, she was widowed.

Mrs. Braun is employed by the Horizon School Division.

Mrs. Roxanne Priede of Grand Forks, British Columbia, was the 2012 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2012, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On May 30, 2007, her eldest child, Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede, was killed in a helicopter crash while serving with the Land Force Atlantic Area Headquarters.

Mrs. Priede, née Chartrand, attended Briarwood Vocational High School. While there, she met John Priede and the two were married on October 16, 1976. In 1979, the Priedes moved to Greenwood, British Columbia, where she chose a career as a stay-at-home mom for almost 15 years to raise their three children–Darrell, Denise and David–before accepting employment as a custodial contractor.

Mrs. and Mr. Priede enjoy outdoor activities, including going for long walks and camping. They also cherish spending time with their three grandchildren and other family members.

Mrs. Niki Psiharis, of Laval, was the 2013 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother and the sixth mother from Québec to be named by the Royal Canadian Legion. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2013, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On June 20, 2007, her youngest son, Sergeant Chris Karigiannis, was killed when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle approximately 40 kilometers west of Kandahar City, Afghanistan—less than two months before his scheduled return home.

Despite her terrible loss, Mrs. Psiharis has maintained a positive outlook and has been an exemplary citizen, committed to engaging youth in remembrance. Since 2009, Mrs. Psiharis has accompanied students, from her son’s former high school to the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa and is the driving force behind having these same students completing more than 100,000 volunteer hours in the community.

Mrs. Psiharis was born in a village of less than 200 people outside of Kalamata, Greece, and married Anastasios Karigiannis when she was 18. They immigrated to Montréal, Québec, in 1968 and had three sons–Peter, Spiro and Chris. In 1990, she was widowed when her husband succumbed to cancer, leaving her to raise three teenaged sons on her own.

Mrs. Psiharis worked in the textile and building maintenance industries, retiring in 2001.

Mrs. Gisèle Michaud, of Edmundston, New Brunswick, was the 2014 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother and the fifth mother from New Brunswick to be named by the Royal Canadian Legion. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2014, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On June 23, 2009, her youngest son, Master Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud, was mortally wounded after stepping on an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Panjwayi District, southwest of Kandahar City, Afghanistan. He was transported to a Québec City hospital on June 28, 2009 and passed away on July 4 of that same year. Master Corporal Charles-Philippe has an older brother, Denis.

Mrs. Michaud was born and raised in Edmundston, New Brunswick. In 1971, she married Conrad Michaud. She worked in retail, but is now retired.

She has undertaken a number of activities to honour her son’s memory. She has hosted large delegations of soldiers from Master Corporal Michaud’s battalion in Edmundston on each anniversary of her son’s passing and on Remembrance Day. Mrs. Michaud, accompanied by her husband and her eldest son, travelled to Kandahar in November 2010.

Mrs. Sheila Anderson lives in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She is the first National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother from the Northwest Territories since the Legion began this tradition more than sixty years ago.

During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2015, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

She lost her eldest son, Corporal Jordan Anderson, when a roadside bomb killed six Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, as well as an Afghan interpreter, in the Panjwaii district southwest of Kandahar City on July 4,2007.

Mrs. Anderson (née Cossar) was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She eventually moved to Ottawa where she worked in a treatment centre for emotionally disturbed adolescents (Ottawa Carleton Regional Residential Treatment Centre) before she got married in 1977 to a High School teacher named James Anderson. They moved to the Northwest Territories where they have spent the past 38 years. She currently works as the Manager, Territorial Courts with the Department of Justice, Government of the Northwest Territories. Her son, Corporal Anderson, was the oldest of four brothers, Benjamin, Mathew, and Samuel.

She took a three-and-a-half year hiatus from her career in the government to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration (UNBC) and graduated in May 2015. This past year, she also combined her love of cycling to helping raise funds through the Boomer’s Legacy Ride from Comox to Victoria. Funds raised through this program are used to help Veterans with PTSD.

Mrs. Anderson has always actively participated in Legion Remembrance Day ceremonies in Inuvik, Saskatoon, and Prince George. She has also laid wreaths for the fallen/unknown soldiers in Yellowknife. Her husband is also an ordinary member of Canada’s northern most Royal Canadian Legion in Inuvik.

Mrs. Colleen Fitzpatrick was born in New Westminster, British Columbia and raised in Vanderhoof. She lives in Prince George, with her sons, grandchildren and her husband Jim of 32 years.

As the National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother, Mrs. Fitzpatrick laid a wreath at the National War Memorial on 11 November 2016 on behalf of all Canadian mothers who have lost a son or a daughter in the military either in action or in the course of his/her normal duty. 

She lost her middle son, Corporal Darren Fitzpatrick, when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Zahari district, near Kandahar City on March 6, 2010.

Mrs. Fitzpatrick and Jim raised three sons Michael, Darren and Sean respectively. She has worked in Human Resources for 15 years and is currently the Director of Human Resources for AiMHi – Association for Community Living, an organization that provides advocacy, support and services to people who have special needs.

Her son Darren received significant blood transfusions upon arrival at Kandahar hospital. The incredible medical attention and blood donations received allowed him two additional weeks with his family before his passing. She has become an advocate for blood donation working closely with Canadian Blood Services to develop a promotional video and blood donation campaign called “Remember the Power of Giving” for which she received a national award.