Cemetery staff take out personal ad for goose whose mate died — and find her a new match

There are few things sadder than a love story cut short by tragedy.   

One such story comes out of a cemetery in Marshalltown, Iowa, where employees noticed that a goose, Blossom, was out of sorts after the death of her mate, Bud. 

Blossom and Bud had lived on the pond in Riverside Cemetery, but after he died in August 2022, Blossom’s behavior changed, general manager Dorie Tammen said. Blossom started spending time near the front office, looking at her reflection in glass windows and on model tombstones. 

“She wanted company,” Tammen said. 

After watching that, Tammen got an idea.

Tammen posted a personal ad for the “lonely, widowed domestic goose,” writing that Blossom wanted a “life partner for companionship and occasional shenanigans.” In the ad, Tammen called Blossom “youthful, adventurous and lively.” 

The joke worked better than anyone could have expected: Tammen soon heard from Deb and Randy Hoyt, owners of a widower goose named Frankie. 

Just like Blossom, Frankie was in need of a mate. 

“He (was) so lonely,” Deb Hoyt said. 

Randy Hoyt saw the ad and said he thought “Well, that’ll be great.” 

The Hoyts and Tammen set up a Valentine’s Day blind date for the birds, where Blossom welcomed Frankie with open wings. Now, the two are spending all their time together at the ceremony, and even taking dips in the lake. 

“They started walking off together and they haven’t really left each other’s side since,” Tammen said. 

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