Carolyn O’Dowd will never forget the Post-It notes.
Thousands of them, literally, that she helped her daughter, Cheyenne O’Dowd, write during Cheyenne’s senior year of high school back home in Pennsylvania.
Each one, with the same message: “You are beautiful, in your own little way,” and each carrying her signature butterfly-doodle, as a signature.
Each one, pasted to every locker in the school.
Carolyn, meanwhile, never missed an opportunity when it came to supporting her fun, quirky, spirited daughter.
There were her attempts at varsity basketball, soccer and swimming, which she didn’t love – and full-on dives into anime, books and Renaissance fairs, which she did.
Even so, Carolyn had to step back for a second on the Post-It note proposal.
“That’s a lot of work, kid. You really want to do this?”
“Hey, if I make one person’s day, it’s worth it.”
It was supposed to be an anonymous gesture, but Cheyenne wasn’t fooling anybody.
The butterfly gave it away – along with that simple, heartfelt message of worth that accompanied it.
Cheyenne, who owned and operated K.C. Uniforms on Pineview Drive, died unexpectedly March 12 at her home in Morgantown. She was just 29.
When word got out, and her high school pals began calling Carolyn, they all said the same thing.
They all talked about the sticky notes with the butterfly and just-plain niceness of the gesture.
“Well, like I said, everybody knew it was her all along. That’s just how my daughter was with people.”
It was that human touch that brought her to West Virginia.
Family is family
She had spent part of high school in Colombia as a Rotary exchange student, and after she got back, and after she graduated, Carolyn’s sister, who lived in Morgantown came down with cancer.
“My sister lived alone, and Cheyenne said, ‘Mom, I’ll go down and help out.’”
Like a lot of new arrivals, she quickly warmed to the Mountain State.
When her aunt recovered, Cheyenne decided to stay – and took a part-time job at K.C. Uniforms, a bustling medical supply business in a town with a health network that treated patients from all over.
A few years in, and the-then owner announced plans to retire and close the shop.
Carolyn’s phone rang.
It was Cheyenne.
I just might have to buy the place, she said. I don’t want to have to find another job.
She wasn’t joking.
Cheyenne did her homework and drew up a business plan, her mom said. She assumed ownership in 2017.
“She worked there, but she didn’t have any experience as a business owner,” Carolyn said. “She just did it. And she was good at it. She was really one of those kids who could do anything.”
Customer service was the key. Locating a pair of shoes, just right, for that veteran nurse whose arches were shot.
Making sure the uniforms on the rack were contemporary and comfortable.
Fun touches, such as Trivia Night gatherings and Rubik’s Cube competitions – solve that baby for a free pair of scrubs.
There were donations to Christian Help, Shop with a Cop and a host of animal rights causes.
“She did a lot in the community,” Carolyn said. “Morgantown was home.”
Bidding on heart
On Saturday, Carolyn will say goodbye again. The entire inventory will be auctioned off at K.C. Uniforms at 10 a.m. that day, at the business on 1229 Pineview Drive.
The sale will be handled by Wade’s Auction Service of Morgantown.
“There’s a real inventory there for sure,” said Thomas A. Wade, who operates the auction house with his wife, Christine and his son and daughter, Tommy and Whitney.
Items up for bid include uniforms from Sketchers, Koi, Healing Hands, Disney and more.
Top shoe brands will include Dansko, Klogs and Landau.
Look for scrubs, lab coats, compression socks, stethoscopes and everything else, the auctioneer added.
In the meantime, a mom has also been hearing from Cheyenne’s customers at K.C. Uniforms.
One, in Cheyenne-fashion, took the time to write a note, Carolyn said.
The customer had bought a stethoscope at the store. The symbolism of it all wasn’t lost.
“Now, when I use it to listen to my patients’ hearts, I’m listening to Cheyenne’s heart, too,” the note read.
