Remembering Heather McCoy, mumtrepreneur and friend
On September 20, 2025, ret. Lt. Col. Mike McCoy and his wife Heather died in a plane crash outside Louise, Texas. Today, I’m sharing this in remembrance of Heather.
Throughout my book and blog, I try to look at the Texas homecoming mum tradition from every perspective. What the kids think. What the schools think. Moms, dads, and other family members. Supply chain. Media. Even mum critics. But I’m particularly smitten with the mum ladies.
“Mum lady” is a common nickname throughout Texas for a super creative woman who makes and sells the best homecoming mums in her town. In the late 2010s, I started following the Instagram account of a mum lady in Boerne, Texas: Heather McCoy, owner of Boerne Homecoming Mums and CraftWerks Ribbon. After seeing only a few of her posts, I realized Heather’s approach to mums was wide and deep. She wasn’t just a talented artisan. She was a savvy business owner. Mentor. Partner. Collaborator. Aviation enthusiast. Mom. Wife. Friend. Boerne superfan.
Heather was my inspiration for inventing a new word for the local mum lady, one that captures the modern and multi-faceted impact that a mum businessperson can have in their community: Mumtrepreneur.
Heather McCoy, owner, Boerne Mums and CraftWerks. Photo taken in Fall 2024 by Amy J. Schultz.
From time to time, I would call or email Heather for her insights on the homecoming mum industry. She was like a translator to me, helping me understand nuance in the language.
In Fall 2024, Heather and I teamed up to promote her businesses and my book by co-hosting a pop-up event at The Boerne Bookshop. Afterward, she gave my husband and me a tour of her shop, which is when I took the above photo of her. She never once complained about the timing of the pop-up event, which was inconveniently scheduled smack dab in the middle of her busiest time of the year. Instead, she warmly welcomed us to her glittery, fluffy, joyful corner of the world.
Speaking of joy… Heather was really, really funny. She created all kinds of hilarious social media content about the homecoming mum tradition that combined her insider knowledge, Texas pride, mum enthusiasm, and a touch of eye-rolling. In one Reel, Heather critiques an over-the-top coquette mum by saying, “I’ve seen less drama on Bridgerton.”
Being able to laugh at yourself is one of my all-time favorite qualities in a person. It self-awareness, wit, and selflessness. Mark Twain once said, "Laugh at yourself; don't let pride get in the way of growth."
That was the thing about Heather. She was always growing. Learning. Striving. The reason she was this way, I think, was because her love was boundless. She loved her family, her town, her aviation community, and her fellow mumtrepreneurs, and through all her loving, learning, striving, and growing, she hoped to bring the world a little closer together. And she did.
