Lexie's Gift

This is the story of a little girl, Lexie, whose best friend's father is in the Army and is so called to active duty. Susan, the friend, is so sad that her dad will miss her birthday and Christmas and won't be there to hug, kiss and tuck her in at bedtime. Lexie wishes she could do something to comfort Susan while her father is away. With a little help, Lexie makes the perfect present for Susan: a pillow with her father's picture printed on it. Susan is thrilled, and the girls decided to make more picture pillows for others like her and in doing so discover it is more fun to give than to receive.

This story is based on a project started in 2008 by the author and his wife. In all, they and their volunteers made and shipped free what they called "Sweet Dreams Pillows" to over 13,000 children of deployed members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

John R. Stoeffler attended Pennsylvania Military College and graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, Stoeffler spent one year of his two-year active duty in Korea. After active duty, he went to work for General Electric and worked on projects in his community, creating "Kids Who Care", a program which led children in collecting toys, food, and clothing for those in need. After decades as a salesman, he retired in 2003 and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in 2016.In 1996, Stoeffler married the former Linda Diane Lord of Linwood, N.J. They have two children, Susan (now deceased) and Laura. They have four grandchildren: Halley, Kylie, Kanon and Lexie.