Finding Light: Healing, Home, and Hope

A Journey of Resilience: Rebuilding with Budget Genealogy

This bond fuels our mission at Budget Genealogy.

Cover Photo: This is a picture of my four children and I on one of our many adventures together. This is the only picture with all of us standing in a circle, which symbolizes the strength of our family unity and bond.

Healing, Growth, and Business

This year — 2025 — has been one of immense challenges and profound growth. From continuing to navigate my grief and re-opening my son Joshua’s case, to a sudden relocation and unexpected spiritual “floods” that tested our foundations, it has truly been a year of trials.

But amid it all, there has been growth.

Through these challenges, I’ve found opportunities to dig in, ground myself deeper, and grow both personally and professionally. With the support of family, friends, and even kind strangers, I’ve been able to continue rebuilding and establishing Budget Genealogy, LLC, provide for my household, and prioritize healing and restoration for myself and my family.

What’s Been Accomplished So Far

• Business licensed: Budget Genealogy, LLC (annual fees paid)

• Professional business email: marcy@budgetgenealogy.com

• Website subscription & domain: www.budgetgenealogy.com

• Active research subscriptions: Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, FindMyPast.com

• 2025 annual domain fee: PAID

• Kane County Genealogy Society membership (annual)

• Regular trips to the National Archives (NARA) in Chicago (before the government shutdown)

• BBB review registration and subscription based plan once approved: Pending results

• Meta verification (monthly)

• EIN registration complete (FREE)

There is still more to do and more to learn, but every step forward is a step toward growth, stability, and hope.

Support Our Journey

Visit GoFundMe  

Thank you for sharing this journey with me and my family. Whether it's through hands-on support, prayer, encouragement, financial means, or even becoming one of my business clients, all contributions empower a single mother building a legacy in Joshua's memory and holding onto an unforeseen future full of promise and great opportunity.

A portion of these funds have come through GoFundMe, and many of you have been sending financial support directly through Zelle and other avenues. If you prefer to use Zelle, you can send funds to 331-442-5546, or via CashApp to $MarcyBaezLopez. Please feel free to DM me for other payment options.

If you or someone you know is ready to discover their family's story, Book a Consultation with Budget Genealogy Today

Past Updates

A Journey Through Loss and Relocation

As we celebrated the 4th of July, a day of reflection on independence and perseverance, I wanted to share some important updates from my life's journey.

We're in a new house rental now, having moved in on Sunday, May 25th. We're slowly settling in, and I completed emptying the house on Ann Street by June 1st. Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support as my family and I embark on this new season and chapter.

Leaving the house where my son Joshua last lived, and where our family once shared so many memories, was extremely difficult and challenging. However, I know that closing this door and entering a new home signifies another level of healing, freedom, and a fresh start. I truly believe the heartbreak and pain will ultimately, in its time, all be worth it.

Rebuilding One Stone, One Brick at a Time…

Many of you who have been following our journey know that as I confronted the three-year anniversary of losing my son Joshua this February, I began the difficult but necessary process of re-opening his case and delving into my own investigation. While it's been a painful journey, I now have a clearer head and a sense of peace that allows me to piece together what was missed; previously, it was all a fog.

Beyond the enduring impact of Joshua's loss, I've been reflecting on the entirety of our family's journey. The past few years have presented significant challenges, particularly when we received the news—on the very anniversary of Joshua's accident—that our rental home was being sold. This gave us less than three months to find a new place. Consequently, I had to put my investigation on hold again, prioritizing our urgent need to relocate.

I was truly unprepared for what lay ahead as we packed up our lives on Ann Street. The final days were the most difficult, made even harder by facing Joshua’s last project: organizing and clearing out the garage. It was a space I hadn't been able to enter or continue his work in since his accident. Sadly, after all these years, a different kind of "flood" arrived—a spiritual natural disaster that festered and destroyed 26 years' worth of our family's stored belongings. This meant 95% of our keepsakes and memories in boxes ultimately had to be literally dumped. It felt like one last ruin of what remained in that house on Ann Street, adding yet another layer to the series of tragedies, disasters, and traumas our family has endured.

Hope and the Path Forward

Yet, through it all, I remain hopeful and committed to building a better future for my remaining children and myself. In honor of Joshua’s memory and the dreams we shared, I have been working tirelessly on rebuilding my small business, Budget Genealogy. I believe that with the right support, I can create a stable environment for my family, continue to heal, and where there is no clear path, create one to press onwards.

If you're looking for a way to make a difference, I would love to share more about how your contributions can directly impact our path forward. Your kindness could help me invest in essential tools and resources that would make a real difference in our lives.

We've been incredibly fortunate to receive $1,780+ in generous donations so far! It's because of supporters like you that I've been able to move forward with this important work. Your contributions have directly covered essential resources and most importantly, have given me the crucial time and energy to focus on my business while also meeting my household's essential needs.

Back in March, we were also incredibly blessed with an all-expenses-paid trip to Arizona in Joshua's honor. And after three years, we've finally been able to empty his storage unit. We're so grateful for all the ways family, friends, and even strangers continue to invest in and bless us through this journey.

Thank you for considering donating. If you're interested in learning more, please feel free to reach out!

My First GoFundMe Post

Building a Brighter Future for My Family

"Joshua's life serves as an enduring beacon, inspiring me to build a brighter future, one breath, one step, one task at a time. In his memory, I cherish the present, for it is the most precious gift of life – time itself."

On the 5th of February, will be 3 years since my son Joshua passed on from this life. It has been difficult to navigate this new life, and move forward. Yet, I believe in the power of second chances, and I'm determined to build a brighter future for my family, despite the immense challenges I've faced.

My journey has been marked by significant life changes that began months before the accident and continued after. In 2021, I began grappling with rising health concerns and was diagnosed with autoimmune disease. While still in the early stages of testing, tragically, in 2022, I lost my firstborn, Joshua. This devastating loss led to the end of my marriage in 2024, leaving me as a single parent fighting tirelessly to provide for my remaining son and to increase connection with my other adult children.

Despite these hardships, I'm driven to create a stable and fulfilling life. My small business, Budget Genealogy, is the path to achieving this goal. Joshua, with his incredible multimedia talents, was a strong supporter of my entrepreneurial dream. We planned for him to build my website and assist with live streaming, but his untimely passing shattered those plans.

Driven by his memory and inspired by his skills, I embarked on a steep learning curve, mastering the technical aspects of running my business myself. Budget Genealogy became my lifeline, a source of strength and purpose during my darkest hours. However, the ongoing financial strain of single parenthood and the rising cost of living pushed me outwards back into the workplace striving to make ends meet with multiple avenues and even still not nearly making enough to provide, and grow my business.

My goal is to transition to remote work, allowing me to dedicate my full attention to Budget Genealogy while simultaneously caring for my health and spending quality time with my son. This flexibility is crucial for my family's success in ongoing healing and recovery, as it will also enable me to better support my loved ones' essential needs.

Your generous contribution will directly support my family by:

• Investing in essential business tools: This will significantly increase my efficiency and productivity.

• Expanding my marketing reach: I plan to implement targeted campaigns to attract new clients and grow my customer base.

• Covering operational costs: This will allow me to streamline operations and potentially hire a part-time assistant to manage the growing workload.

• Providing a secure and comfortable home for my family.

Your support will not only empower me to achieve my business goals but also create a lasting positive impact on my family's well-being, and help me build a legacy in Joshua's memory.

Note: If you would like to see a breakdown of the monthly, annual, and other expenses that I have calculated for growing my business, Budget Genealogy, please let me know, and I will be happy to share them with you.