HAYDEN - A simple request, a red balloon and a moving story of love and loss have touched many lives here in North Idaho.

Hayden resident Brian Taylor, 80, released a balloon in memory of his wife, Kathy, on her birthday in February. Kathy died of pancreatic cancer a year ago Dec. 7.

Attached to the balloon by a red ribbon were a bag of forget-me-not seeds and a note that read: "If you find me, please plant me. Balloon released on 2-17-2014 from Hayden, Idaho, in memory of Kathy Taylor, 2-17-1949 to 12-7-2013. Forever in our hearts." On the back, he wrote, "Her loving husband, Brian Taylor."

That balloon has been found and Kathy's flowers have been planted.

"We just wanted a way to remember her, and she loved to garden," said Brian's daughter, Helen Hanna of Coeur d'Alene.

Hanna explained that Kathy was her stepmom and her favorite color was red. Four balloons were released that day in her memory: One from Coeur d'Alene, one from Hayden, one from Kathy's son in Moses Lake, Wash., and one from Hanna's sister in Sultan, Wash.

"That's what we agreed upon as a family to commemorate her birthday," she said. "Everybody released a red balloon."

The only balloon the family knows has been found is the one released by Brian, whom Hanna said has had a rough year since Kathy's death. Brian and Kathy had been married since April of 1999.

"She was a wonderful lady and we miss her very much," Hanna said. "When my dad learned about the balloon being found and the seeds being planted, it brought tears to his eyes."

Jeremy Tripp, the owner of Timbered Ridge Homes in Hayden, happened to find the balloon in September when he was hunting and hiking in the mountains by the Cabinet Gorge Dam area on the Idaho/Montana border, about 100 miles northeast of Hayden. Timbered Ridge Homes posted on its Facebook page that the balloon had been found and requested people "share" the story so Brian would know his wishes had been fulfilled. More than 400 people "shared," nearly 300 people "liked" it and the network of social media connected Brian and his family to the balloon's finders.

"We didn't know that it had been found, that's the really amazing part," Hanna said. "So many people commented about it. It just touched a lot of people.

"It's a small world."