Hope Through Healing - How Wylette and Wendell Green Are Turning Grief Into Purpose on Lake Wedowee
✍️ By Kelly Caldwell
On the quiet waters of Lake Wedowee, where sunsets paint the sky and life slows down just enough to catch your breath, Wylette and Wendell Green have found peace in the unlikeliest of places.
It’s here, in the calm and beauty of this lake community, that they are honoring their son’s memory—and helping others find healing after unimaginable loss. 💙
💔 A Mother’s Loss
Their son, Josh, was 44 years old when he passed away in March 2022. He was Wylette’s only child and Wendell’s youngest, a hardworking man who provided for his five children and three stepchildren.
“He was a jokester,” Wylette says with a soft smile. “He’d call me and say something crazy, and I’d believe him every time. Then he’d laugh and say, ‘Ha ha, Mama, I’m just kidding.’”
But one day, the call was real.
Josh had suffered a mild heart attack and a small stroke. After six days in the hospital, he came home to recover, only to pass away unexpectedly the night before he was supposed to return to work.
🖤 The Days That Followed
The loss of Josh shattered their world. Wylette remembers the moment she got the call from Wendell.
“He told me, ‘You need to come right now.’ When he finally said it was Josh... we both just dropped to the ground.”
In the weeks and months that followed, the Greens found themselves in the deep valley of grief.
“I’ve lost my mother, my father, my three brothers,” Wylette says. “But there’s nothing like losing a child. My heart was completely shattered.”
Even their strong marriage of 45 years was tested.
“I had read that 80 to 90 percent of marriages don’t survive the loss of a child,” she recalls. “But ours did. It made us stronger.”
🎨 Small Signs and a Spark of Purpose
At first, even the things that once brought her joy felt impossible. An artist who loved to paint, Wylette set her brushes aside.
“I told my best friend, ‘I’m never going to paint again.’ I just didn’t feel like I had anything left.”
But in her darkest moments, small signs appeared.
She prayed to see a bluebird, a symbol of hope she hadn’t seen in years. A few days later, two bluebirds flew past as she and Wendell sat on their porch.
“That was God answering me,” she says.
It was the first glimmer of light.
🕯️ From Grief to Ministry
Wylette began attending a grief group in Coldwater, but the long drive made it difficult to stay connected. So she started praying for purpose.
“I said, ‘Lord, if you want me to do something with this pain, show me what to do.’ And He did.”
She placed an ad in What’s Happening, and soon connected with a local church that offered to host a grief group.
In August 2022, just five months after Josh’s passing, Wylette launched Hope Through Healing, a faith-based support group for parents who have lost a child.
“Our first meeting, we had twelve people,” she says. “We were strangers in grief, but we became close through sharing our stories.”
🤝 A Circle of Compassion
Today, Hope Through Healing meets once a month, often gathering at a local restaurant before heading back to one of their homes for coffee, dessert, and conversation.
“Sometimes we just enjoy the fellowship,” Wylette explains. “And sometimes, someone shares something that’s been heavy on their heart. Either way, we show up for each other.”
The group is open to anyone navigating the loss of a loved one, though most members are grieving the loss of a child.
“We welcome new members with open arms,” she says. “No one should have to go through this alone.” 🫶
🌟 Living With Purpose
In the three years since Josh’s passing, Wylette and Wendell have found new purpose in volunteering throughout the community.
From helping at the senior center in Wedowee to assisting with special needs programs at Randolph County High School, they’ve poured their hearts into service.
“Through that valley of grief, doors of hope opened,” Wylette says. “I didn’t want to get stuck in that deep grief. I wanted to live in a way that honored Josh.”
And they have.
Wylette returned to painting, often capturing the bluebirds that brought her hope. She writes poems about her journey and shares her testimony at local churches.
Wendell, a quieter presence, faithfully supports the work they’re doing—whether it’s helping with the grief group or charming the students at the high school who light up when they see him.
🕊️ Choosing Joy Every Day
“There’s no right way to grieve,” Wylette says. “Wendell’s quiet, and I’m vocal. But we’re in this together.”
Their faith has been their anchor, and they give God all the glory for carrying them through their darkest days.
“Grief never goes away,” Wylette says. “You don’t get over it—you go through it. But there’s hope. There’s life after loss.”
As they prepare for the arrival of two new grandchildren this spring—bringing their total to ten—the Greens are finding joy again.
“Josh would have wanted us to keep living,” Wylette says. “And we do. We keep his memory alive by choosing joy every day.”
💬 Want to Learn More?
Hope Through Healing, a faith-based grief support group for parents and families who have experienced the loss of a child, meets monthly around Lake Wedowee.
📞 For more information, contact Wylette Green at (256) 610-5989.
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