Nurse Honor Guard members who recently gave a memorial tribute at St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church in Belleville (from left): Lori Bliss, Linda Morrison, Linda George, Karla Poindexter, Jane Stumpf, Jane Ferko, Debra Seiffert, Diane Gedermuth and Mary Ann Kelly (Submitted photo).
By Linda Norris
Messenger Staff
Once a nurse, always a nurse.
“It had been years since Karen had worked as a nurse, so her grandchildren and many of her friends didn’t know that side of her life,” Pat Kuhl said of his late wife, Karen.
The Kuhls had been married 52 years when Karen died last Feb. 27 at 73. They were longtime members of St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church in O’Fallon. Karen worked as a registered nurse at hospitals in Texas for 11 years. After moving to O’Fallon, she was a nurse for Heartland Hospice.
Just prior to Karen’s memorial Mass at St. Clare, the Nurse Honor Guard of St. Louis gave an excellent and meaningful presentation, Pat Kuhl said.
“When the line of more than 10 registered nurses, all dressed in crisp white uniforms and nursing hats —you don’t see that anymore — lined up near the casket, the rather boisterous crowd became silent,” Kuhl said. “So silent you could hear a nursing school pin drop.”
Kuhl said they talked about the duties nurses perform to help people and make their lives better during tough times.
“They rang a triangle (three times) for her last call of duty for the angelic actions she had performed,” he said. “This was such a great reminder of how much Karen cared for people. It brought tears — happy tears — to my eyes.”
Kuhl said he was given a “last call” certificate and a lantern with a candle to honor her service.
“I keep it on a buffet in my home,” he said. “I look at it every day to remind me of her loving care and that of all the other nurses.”
Nurse Honor Guard tributes
With Labor Day approaching Sept. 7, it’s a good time of year to recognize and thank nursing professionals for what they do.
One group is doing that all year by performing tributes for terminally ill or deceased nurses.
The mission of the Nurse Honor Guard of St. Louis is to honor and celebrate the professional contributions, unwavering dedication and sacrifices of nurses who are nearing the end of life (living tributes) or who have entered eternal rest (memorial tributes).
“We are committed to ensuring that every nurse we honor receives the respect, dignity and gratitude they have earned through a lifetime of service,” said Aine Price, president/chair of Nurse Honor Guard of St. Louis.
“Through ceremonies rooted in historical nursing traditions and rich with meaningful symbolism, we celebrate each nurse’s legacy of compassionate care, selflessness and commitment to the nursing profession,” Price said.
During the tribute, a lamp with a candle is presented to the family. This represents Florence Nightengale as she walked through the Crimean War battlefields at night looking for injured soldiers. The blue capes with red lining they wear also are representative of Nightengale, who is known as the founder of modern nursing.
“Our tributes are intended not only to honor the nurse,” Price said, “but also to provide comfort and solace to family members and loved ones while fostering a profound appreciation for the countless lives touched throughout the nurse’s career.”
The tributes are non-denominational and have taken place in nurses’ homes, hospice care centers, funeral homes, cemeteries and churches prior to Mass.
Nurse Honor Guards are active throughout the U.S. The St. Louis chapter covers a 50-miles radius from the Gateway Arch in downtown St. Lous. It is a nonprofit organization.
Two parishioners who participate
Stacy Komoromi, 63, who lives in Belleville and attends the Cathedral of St. Peter, has been a member of the Nurse Honor Guard for one year.
She graduated from nursing school in 1984 and worked in the ICU at Memorial Hospital in Belleville for 28 years. She retired from nursing earlier than expected because of health issues.
“I think that is why I went into the Nurse Honor Guard,” Komoromi said. “I missed nursing. I loved my job. I truly did. I loved the people I worked with. I loved what I did, and I just miss it so terribly bad.”
She found out about the honor guard at a funeral of a dear friend and colleague.
“I said, ‘I have to do this.’ It was just like something I needed, that I have to do this,” she said. “There was a meeting the following week. I went, and I immediately knew this was for me.”
She has contributed about 80 hours in her first year as a member.
One of the more memorable tributes was at St. Elizabeth Hospital in O’Fallon for a nurse who was medically brain-dead, and the family was donating her organs.
“We lined the hallway as they took her to the operating room,” Komoromi shared. “I still tear up thinking about it. And the family was so appreciative.
“We also welcome the Nurse Flights when they return at the end of the day. Most people have heard about the Veteran Flights, but they have similar trips for the nurses who served in wars, too.”
Komoromi said she has deep faith in the Catholic religion.
“You are to minister out there to other people,” she said. “You are to give your time back. You are to help people when they are in need, and I feel like doing this (Nurse Honor Guard) is a part that really is in my heart and in my soul. I feel like we are helping people when they are so sad and just don’t know what to do.”
When the nurse guards talk to the nurse’s loved ones, Komoromi said “it gives you that that feeling that you’re comforting them, just as God has comforted and still comforts when you when you reach out to Him.”
Barbara Masters, 70, received her cape for the Nurse Honor Guard on Aug. 19, just a little over a week ago.
“Receiving my cape means I am now part of a great organization that recognizes the care of individuals and the recognition of being a nurse,” Masters said. “You know, I dreamed of being a nurse since the seventh grade.”
Masters lives in Belleville and attends St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church. She was in active nursing for 48 years, including 40 at Memorial Hospital in cardiac cath and cardiovascular, and as the manager or nurse manager of cardiac pulmonary rehab for 30 years. She continues with the parish health ministry at St. Augustine.
“I was attending the funeral of a great colleague of mine, and I sat in the section of nurses,” Masters said. “The honor guard asked any nurse in attendance to stand up while they said a blessing to the nurse being honored. It was awesome to be recognized with a group of my colleagues who were in the pews.
“After the tribute ceremony, I thought, I have to join them. I will continue with it as long as I am able.”
A daughter’s perspective
The visitation prior to the May 13 funeral Mass for Vivian Hassenstab began with the Nurse Honor Guard at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Smithton.
“It was really a beautiful way to get it started,” said Julie Parker, Hassenstab’s daughter. “Mom was so proud to be a nurse, and we were so proud of her. It just meant a lot to start the day in that way.”
Hassenstab was a behavioral health care nurse for 31 years at St. Elizabeth Hospital. Her daughter said she was very good at that and always had a special connection with her patients.
Parker said many parts of the tribute “were so special.” She specifically mentioned the moment when the lamp and candle were presented to the family.
“I had never seen a tribute like this,” Parker said. “It was all new to me, and so it was special. Please tell the nurses how meaningful this is to the families. It’s very much appreciated.”
During the tribute, as the triangle is softly rung for the third time, these words are said: “You are now relieved of your earthly nursing duties. May you rest in eternal peace.”
For more information, visit the Nurse Honor Guard website at nhgstlmo.org.
