WESTPHALIA — Carnival StoneBridge Senior Living Activities Director Tammy Raithel was pleased with the turnout on Friday for the annual Corrie Talken Carnival at Westphalia in honor of the Fourth of July.

“A lot of people were worried about the weather since it rained, but the evening was very nice, and everyone had a great time,” said Raithel. “We’re overflowing with gratitude for everyone who played a part in turning this event into a reality.”

The event was created in memory of Corrie Talken, a former activities director at the Westphalia facility. She was tragically killed on July 5, 2014, in a Gasconade River boating accident that also claimed the life of Larry Hennier.

Her parents, Ron and Peggy Talken, came to terms with their daughter’s death with the understanding that her life had been dedicated to helping others.

“Like every young lady, every teen, she definitely pressed every button there was to press, but she truly was a genuinely kind-hearted girl, and she absolutely adored the elderly,” Peggy said. “I don’t know where that calling came from, but I’m sure glad she had it.”

Peggy suspects it began when Corrie was a student at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City. As part of her community service, Corrie volunteered at what was then Westphalia Hills. “She loved it so much that when she went to college, she had to find out what degree she could get to work with the elderly,” Peggy explained, noting her daughter earned a degree in family and child development. “We joked that we spent $60,000 on her education so she could call bingo, but she loved it.”

Peggy taught Corrie empathy and understanding at an early age, and it stayed with her. “I always taught my kids, I don’t care how mad you are, you give three kisses,” she said. “That means I love you. You don’t have to say the words, but yes, at least that’s what you’re going to do. And so she said, I give (residents) three kisses every morning, and then, you know, it just seems to be enough for them at that point. She tried to visit every one of her residents every morning for five or 10 minutes. I’m like, ‘Who raised this child?’ When she died, over 2,000 people came to our little town of Taos to her visitation. We were not prepared for that. We knew she knew people, but we didn’t know it was that many.”

When Corrie served as the activities director at the Westphalia facility, she did little things to help because of budgetary restraints. “She’d sweet-talk her aunt into making the best homemade cinnamon rolls, and she would sell chances on them to the residents and their families,” Peggy said. “That’s how she made extra money for her activities, and that was always around the Fourth of July. If I could just go to bed on July 3 and not wake up until the sixth, even to this day, that would be fine by me. It’s a very hard time of year for us.”

About a year after Corrie was killed, Peggy was talking to coworkers and said she had an idea to start a nonprofit foundation in her daughter’s memory, with the main emphasis being to help nursing home residents through the activities division.

Thus, Peggy and Ron founded the Pink Star Foundation in their daughter’s honor, and the name of the organization has a poignant origin. On the day of Corrie’s funeral, with a home full of people, she and her husband went outside for fresh air. “I asked him if he was okay, and he started crying,” Peggy said. “He said, ‘No,’ of course. But he said, ‘You may think I’m crazy, but look up there.’ Corrie’s favorite color was pink, and we saw a twinkling star. And I kid you not, it looked like a pink star up there. So, that’s where the Pink Star Foundation got its name.”

After fundraising to support the foundation, Peggy and Ron began sponsoring the fireworks show at Westphalia Hills, along with providing scholarships to Helias and Blair Oaks seniors and facilities that serve the elderly and those with special needs.

The latter traces its roots to the Samaritan Center, where Corrie volunteered after getting into trouble for making fun of someone. “It kind of backfired on me, because she just absolutely loved doing it,” Peggy said. “We try to find places that meant something to Corrie. She had an affinity for the elderly, and especially children and adults with Down Syndrome; she just loved them.”

After Corrie’s death, Peggy received letters from all over the place from people who were touched by the young lady’s kindness.

“I would get mad at her because she wasn’t there with us on Thanksgiving, because that was the one holiday I had,” Peggy said. “She would say, ‘I’m sorry, I have to work.’ We found out that she would drive residents to their families on Thanksgiving if the weather was bad, and take them back to Westphalia when they were done. They would try to pay her, but she refused. We had no idea she was doing it. So here we were hollering at her because she’s not with her family, when, in fact, as I think about it now, she really was with part of her family, because they were her family. It’s amazing what someone can do in a short time on this earth.”

Peggy said she enjoys attending the event, which grew from a simple fireworks show to a full carnival over the years.

Along the way, she has met other mothers trying to survive the loss of a child through a closed Facebook group called Steel Magnolia Mommas. The group meets locally on the third Saturday of each month, and mothers can join the online group. Email peggy.talken@gmail.com for more information.

Raithel is very grateful for the Talken’s support. “We want to offer an extraordinary thank you to Ron and Peggy for their incredible support of our facility and for sponsoring the event,” said Raithel. “We also appreciate the harmonious music that Benny, Shirley, Dana, Frank, and Andy played. Their music touched our souls.”

Raithel added that Osage Ambulance, Westphalia Fire Department, and Osage Sheriff’s Department were on hand, offering tours of vehicles and visiting with the public. “They elevated the charm of the event,” said Raithel. “They were the superhero support teams.”

Raithel also expressed her gratitude for the event’s sponsors, along with Kettle Korn by the Sue Lauberth Family, and RJ’s Real Italian Ice.

“We loved having dedicated families and faithful friends who came out to sprinkle their magic and join us in this grand celebration,” said Raithel.

Hendrix Kloeppel, 3, and Zoey Backues, 2, were crowned Little Mister and Miss Firecracker.

Games and activities included bounce houses, skeeball, basketball, a quarterback challenge, and a dunk tank.