To Get Back Home

Nancy Isaacs, a Hospice Care Plus nurse, now retired but with 20-plus years under her belt, will never forget one patient’s bucket-list story.

“He hadn’t lived in our county very long,” remembers Nancy. “He was from a small town in eastern Kentucky, and his greatest wish was to have his body taken back there to be buried in the family cemetery.”

The patient explained to Nancy and his hospice social worker, Jennifer, that the family cemetery was the only place where he felt he’d truly be at home.

“He said all his people were buried there,” says Nancy, “and that he wanted to be there with them.”

It was also important because he and his wife had almost no money, no life insurance, and no way to pay for burial anywhere else.

They also had no money for a casket.

His preoccupation with this challenge kept him from finding peace with what was to come.  So Nancy, Jennifer, and the rest of his hospice care team came up with a plan.

Jennifer enlisted her boyfriend’s help, talking him into finding wood and building a casket. Nancy and Jennifer agreed to purchase the materials to make the pillow and padding for the casket, and also to do the sewing. Family and church volunteers agreed to transport his coffin to the family cemetery.

“We told him what we were doing,” Nancy says. “He just couldn’t believe somebody would do that for him.”

For nearly four weeks, Jennifer and Nancy took their sewing machines to work with them. They left them in their cars during working hours, but brought them into their office as soon as their shift was over.

“We didn’t have any patterns or anything, just the casket measurements,” says Nancy. “We felt we needed to hurry so he could see that it was taken care of, so we sewed together most evenings after work, right there in the office.”

When the casket was complete and fitted with the padding and pillow, Nancy, Jennifer, and the rest of his team presented it to him and to his wife.

“He really loved the casket,” says Nancy. “He still couldn’t quite believe it, but he was thrilled.”

Although he died soon after, Nancy and the team noticed that a burden had been lifted and he was able to find peace.

“He was worried that he’d be a burden to his wife, because she’d have to find the money to buy a casket or pay for funeral home transportation to his family cemetery. He was finally at peace, and he needed that. He needed peace.”

Posted in

Leave a Comment





Hospice Care Plus empowers those we serve to enjoy the highest quality of life, respecting their values, beliefs, needs, and goals through specialized care, education, resources, and grief support.

Our Service Area:

Our Home Hospice and Home Palliative Care programs serve you, wherever you call home, in the Kentucky counties of Estill, Jackson, Lee, Madison, Owsley, and Rockcastle.

Our inpatient care facility, the Compassionate Care Center, and administrative offices are located in Richmond, Kentucky.

Recent News:

Rockin’ Derby Eve Benefit Friday May 2

Reservations are now open for the Derby Eve Benefit Party: Rockin' Derby Eve! This adult only event is the longest...

Gift A Day Of Care in 2025

Every Day Is a Gift at Hospice Care Plus. We have spent 43 years fulfilling our mission of providing compassionate...

Journaling Through Grief Series Hosted in Irvine

Hospice Care Plus is offering a new grief support series called Journaling Through Grief, starting Aug. 7 and ending Oct....

Give a Heart for Hospice in February

Hearts for Hospice displayed at Community Trust Bank in 2024 During the month of February, several local banks and businesses...

News & Events

Untitled design (2)

HCP Wins Hospice Honors Award

Hospice Care Plus has been named a 2023 Hospice Honors Award recipient by Healthcare First. Hospice Honors is a prestigious program that recognizes hospices across the country providing the highest level of quality as measured by patients and families.  Hospice Care Plus is one of only seven hospices in Kentucky to earn the award in…

featured image

To Renew Our Vows

Families and care teams form close relationships, especially when care begins early. Team members often ask what goals patients and families have.  When they learn of special desires, they set about helping those dreams come to life. 

Sue Lunsford, Director of Human Resources at Hospice Care Plus

Celebrating Sue Lunsford’s Retirement

On June 2, Sue Lunsford will retire from Hospice Care Plus after 33 years of service. An open-house celebration in honor of her retirement, Sue’s “It’s Bittersweet” Farewell, will be held May 26 between 11 AM and 2 PM at Hospice Care Plus & Compassionate Care Center on 350 Isaacs Lane in Richmond. All are…

WP HEALTHCARE DECISIONS DAY

National Healthcare Decisions Day

National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is April 16. Hospice Care Plus is honoring the day by offering free resources to residents of our six-county service area to help individuals make and document their healthcare decisions. Lisa Knicely, the Director of Outreach Programs at Hospice Care Plus and the organization’s lead social worker, says NHDD reinforces…