Debra Gaunt wasn’t just a mentor and teacher but a friend. Mrs. Debra Gaunt, my first ever floral teacher and most influence mentor, lost her battle with cancer on Friday October 31st, 2014 and will be laid to rest today.
Without this amazing woman I would never had even known about the floral industry and without her push and drive for me to be the very best I wouldn’t have come to be the designer I am today. Deb Gaunt was a American Institute of Floral Design member, Michigan Certified Florist and Michigan State University graduate. She instilled her love for horticultural and animal studies into every student and colleague she encountered. Because of the care she placed into all of her students many of us have achieved great things in our lives wether it be in the floral industry or else where. She will be dearly missed in the industry and in the lives of those she has affected.
Garrett pictured with Debra Gaunt and Brian Bak the night Garrett received MFA Young Person of the Year and his Certified Florist.
Of the many things that I could say about this wonderful woman, Edward J. Stieglitz said it best when he said “The important thing to you is not how many years in your life, but how much life in your years!” and Mrs. Gaunt didn’t just live a wonderful life but challenged us, her students, to do what ever we could to fill our life with adventure and live our lives to the fullest.
This is farewell to a wonderful person that touched the lives of many and created wonder for them all. Till Friday,
