Don’t bear the memories alone
BVH P.E coach Randi Wittak makes bears out of clothing
At BVH, Interventions Coordinator Steven Wiggs wears a T-shirt of his late son Micah Pietila-Wiggs. Sitting on his desk are two of the seven bears made by P.E teacher Randi Wittak to honor his memory. Wittak will make five more bears for other family members in the future.
January 30, 2023
Losing a loved one is always hard, however there are various ways people cope with loss and keep their loved ones’ memories alive—it may be sharing one’s thoughts with others or writing in a journal to hold onto the memories. For Bonita Vista High (BVH) Physical Education (P.E) coach Randi Wittak, she learned to cope through the loss of her friend by learning to sew clothes into special mementos for others.
During the month of Aug. of 2022, Wittak began to build bears out of clothing provided by families who have lost a loved one. Although Wittak’s mother knows how to sew, Wittak claims that she did not learn how to sew until after watching Youtube videos. This newfound skill led her to start a business called “Clothes Two My Heart” (@clothestwomyheart on instagram), where anyone looking for a way to honor the memories of a lost one can commission to receive a handmade bear. Her page features a variety of designs customers can choose from, along with the photos of the bears she makes. Wittak discusses what inspired her to make the bears.
“I saw a girl on Tiktok whose dad passed away and she made bears for her wedding. Shortly after seeing that video, my very good friend passed away. I looked on the internet so I could buy some bears for him,” Wittak said. “I ended up seeing it on Etsy, but it was $100 and I said, ‘I can make these myself’. I was close to his family so I told his mom what I wanted to do, she let me raid his closet and I made 40 bears.” I think it’s a wonderful thing Ms. Wittak is doing. I am sure it makes other people feel good by having their memories of their loved ones. — Senior Office Assistant Claudia Roman
For Wittak, sewing the bear together is not the challenge, but rather gathering materials in order to make them. Due to the long and tedious process, it hints as to why she calls her business a “side hustle”.
“It depends on the type of clothing I get. If it’s a cotton shirt, I have to get a thickening panel on it, meaning I have to iron on a sheet of fabric just to make it more stiff so the bear can have the structure that it needs,” Wittak said.
As Wittak’s business is talked about and spread around campus, BVH staff members request commissions. Recent customer and Interventions Coordinator Steven Wiggs explains how he feels about receiving a bear from Wittak’s business.
“It meant a lot to our family because each of us are able to have a piece of our son,” Wiggs said. “Being able to have someone that I know very well and that is actually a good friend of mine make something so special means so much.”
According to Wittak, Something that makes this business special is that she takes clothing that is underappreciated such as shirts and pants to keep the memories of loved ones alive. The clothing holds the faint scent of people, so once a customer receives their bear, it may feel like they are hugging their lost one. Wiggs shares what emotions he felt when receiving his bear.
“It brought me back so many great memories of my son. For others receiving a bear, I am sure it also brings them so many memories of their loved ones. Since the clothes have the loved ones scent it really minds us of that person,” Wiggs said.
Even for those who did not commission a bear, the intentions of the business continue to reach them and allows them to reminisce upon their loved ones that have departed. Senior Office Assistant Claudia Roman, a potential customer for Wittak’s business, mentions how Wittak has touched her heart with her business.
“I think it’s a wonderful thing Ms. Wittak is doing. I am sure it makes other people feel good by having their memories of their loved ones, not only for the people she is doing it for, but for herself as well,” Roman said.
Receiving a bear brings happiness but more importantly, it brings closure to those looking for it. Moreover, Wittak feels that her making the bears has brought her closure to her friend’s passing.
“He passed away so suddenly and it was very hard to process. To lose somebody that you can’t imagine not being there was hard. It was just a processing thing and [making bears] helped me feel closer to him,” Wittak said. “A lot of our friends are married and starting to have kids so it was nice to be able to do something for him so he could still be ‘Uncle Matt’ to his friend’s kids.”
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