Her Mother’s Daughter

My niece, Cassie Franklin is a mother of three children, a partner, and an entrepreneur, but mostly…to me anyway, she is her mother’s daughter. Cassie was born when her mother, Rachel (Franklin) Schulenberg was just over 16 years old. It was a dark time in Rachel’s life. Rachel lost her mother, Connie (Mooren) Franklin, just a month and two days after she turned 10 years old. She lost more that day that just her mother. To a large degree, she lost herself too. It was a temporary loss, but a long one, that would culminate in becoming a wild child, and then to becoming a mother at 16. Many people would think that was one more way to sink into a pit, but for Rachel, it was not. Cassie was her saving grace. Rachel was a good mother to her little mini-me, and while they, like all mother-daughter relationship struggled at times, but they loved each other so much. Rachel passed away on January 19, 2021.

Truly, I think Cassie learned much of her mothering skills from her mother. Of course, it wasn’t like Rachel set out to specifically teach her daughter to be a good mom, but rather that together, they became a great mother-daughter team. Rachel told me once, that they really grew up together. That’s probably true. With only 16 years between them, Rachel was still a girl too. She didn’t really know how to mother from her own mom, because she died when Rachel was so young. Nevertheless, there were people around her to help. There was her stepmother, Janice (Grosch) Franklin, who married her dad Clifton Franklin in 1981, for example. Of course, that can be a blessing or a curse in the early days, but later on, they got along, and the relationship was a blessing. For Cassie, Janice became a beloved grandmother. The only one she had ever known. Janice passed away on June 17, 2019.

Cassie has three children now, Lucas Iverson, Zoey Iverson, and Alicen Barr. The children are so blessed by their mom, who is a hands-on health advocate and protector against medical abuse and overuse. She doesn’t agree with vaccinations, because they have too many issues tied to them, and too much in them that is unknown. Cassie is also the guardian on her youngest brother, Tucker, who lives with her and her partner, Wesley Burr. They are a healthy, happy family, and together, they run a growing cleaning business. Today is Cassie’s birthday. Happy birthday Cassie!! Have a great day!! We love you!!