Kalamazoo County Nurse Honor Guard
By Bruce Rolfe
The recently formed Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County Chapter is now available to recognize and offer a tribute to a local nurse at a memorial or graveside service.
The Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County chapter was established in 2024 and provides a final tribute, free of charge, for any licensed or registered nurse, active or retired, for memorial or graveside service, or a living tribute.
Cindy Sears, a member of the Kalamazoo County Chapter, said the Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County works in a similar fashion the VFW or American Legion does for a military veteran at a graveside or memorial service, offering a presentation and tribute for the nurse’s years of service.
According to information provided by the local chapter, at the memorial or graveside service, the Nurse Honor Guard will perform the Final Call to Duty.
Sears said during the Final Call to Duty, the Nightingale lamp is lit in honor of the deceased and the family is given a rose.
The local chapter’s literature adds a Tibetan singing bowl will be utilized to help keep the nurse’s memory alive and provide beautiful sounds known for holistic healing, stress relief, meditation, and relaxation.
The name of the nurse is called out three times as a request to report to duty, with the Tibetan singing bowl rung at each calling.
After the third and final call, the nurse is announced as released from their nursing duties, and the lamp’s flame is extinguished.
The Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County is composed entirely of volunteer nurses giving back to their profession in a final tribute.
For additional information or to become a volunteer, contact the Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County Chapter at:
• facebook.com/NurseHonorGuardofKalamazooCounty.
• Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County Chapter Secretary Holly McNally at 269-823-3954.
• Trish Wiita at 269-598-5258.
• Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County Chapter President Donna Pennington at 269-271-7711.
• PO Box 223, Nazareth, MI 49074.
The recently formed Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County Chapter is now available to recognize and offer a tribute to a local nurse at a memorial or graveside service.
The Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County chapter was established in 2024 and provides a final tribute, free of charge, for any licensed or registered nurse, active or retired, for memorial or graveside service, or a living tribute.
Cindy Sears, a member of the Kalamazoo County Chapter, said the Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County works in a similar fashion the VFW or American Legion does for a military veteran at a graveside or memorial service, offering a presentation and tribute for the nurse’s years of service.
According to information provided by the local chapter, at the memorial or graveside service, the Nurse Honor Guard will perform the Final Call to Duty.
Sears said during the Final Call to Duty, the Nightingale lamp is lit in honor of the deceased and the family is given a rose.
The local chapter’s literature adds a Tibetan singing bowl will be utilized to help keep the nurse’s memory alive and provide beautiful sounds known for holistic healing, stress relief, meditation, and relaxation.
The name of the nurse is called out three times as a request to report to duty, with the Tibetan singing bowl rung at each calling.
After the third and final call, the nurse is announced as released from their nursing duties, and the lamp’s flame is extinguished.
The Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County is composed entirely of volunteer nurses giving back to their profession in a final tribute.
For additional information or to become a volunteer, contact the Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County Chapter at:
• facebook.com/NurseHonorGuardofKalamazooCounty.
• Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County Chapter Secretary Holly McNally at 269-823-3954.
• Trish Wiita at 269-598-5258.
• Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County Chapter President Donna Pennington at 269-271-7711.
• PO Box 223, Nazareth, MI 49074.
Volunteers from the Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County are pictured participating at a memorial service
(Photos provided by Nurse Honor Guard of Kalamazoo County)
