Mother Of The Year 2026 Winner
RICHMOND, MI – Peggy Ruby of Richmond, MI was chosen as the Better Made Snack Foods Mother of the Year for 2026! Peggy is a dedicated mom who loves her family more than life itself. Here is her nomination as written and submitted by her friend, Ann Pelachyk:
Peggy is my hero. She defines a mom who puts the needs of her child first and works to see the joy in every day. For that and many other reasons I would like to nominate her as “Mother of the Year.” A little over one year ago, Peggy’s barely 22-year-old son, Kenny, dove in a pond, hit his head, and was instantly paralyzed (he is now a quadriplegic). Kenny had spinal surgery, was in ICU, and then at Mary Free Bed rehab hospital. It was months before he could go home, so it was months before Peggy went home. At that time, Peggy was solely responsible for the care of her mother with advanced dementia. She had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The learning curve on caring for a quadriplegic person is unimaginable. The nuances and crises are endless. The development of necessary routines is a lengthy and intense process. Peggy did it all, while trying to give her son quality of life, going for breast cancer radiation, running an household containing two other people, and caring for her mother. Every day continues to hold tremendous challenges. Peggy’s mother died a few months ago. Kenny is now undergoing a series of nerve transplant surgeries at U of M in the hope of having use of his thumbs. All of the quadriplegic care issues and crises continue.
“When I read Ann’s nomination, my heart broke just thinking about her situation,” says Cathy Gusmano, CEO of Better Made. “Peggy is an excellent example of someone who puts family and other people first. She has gone through a lot of struggles and we want to make her Mother’s Day special this year.”
Founded in 1930 in Detroit as Cross and Peters, and now in its 95th year, Better Made continues to develop and provide a wide variety of high-quality award-winning snack foods, including assorted original and flavored potato chips, and potato sticks, gourmet popcorn, pretzels, tortilla chips, pork rinds, and more! The family-owned company uses locally grown potatoes and the finest oils. For more information, please visit www.bettermade.com. You may also follow Better Made on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Michigan Made – Better Made, now featured all around Michigan in your favorite food outlets.