Do y'all have any suggestions for choosing a taxidermist?
Any practicing taxidermist can do a skin mount. It's the paint job that makes or breaks a mount (as mentioned before). It may be worthwhile to ask upfront, what he/she will do if you're not satisfied with the final mount. A local taxidermist I use guaranties your satisfaction in the mount, with a one time charge. (charges by the inch)
Shop around for someone to do your work. There was discussion previously on the board about some crappie mounts having "bass-like" mouths - a small detail to look for. Look at the pectoral fins as well - a decent taxidermist can do those fins w/o a support backer.

Congrats on the memory, she has a story some of us are still dreaming about.
Good luck in your search and let us know how it turns out next year.