Nurses honor guard pays tribute to fallen colleagues

LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. — A group of retired nurses in Lenawee County is ensuring their colleagues are remembered with dignity, offering special funeral services to honor those who spent their lives caring for others.

The Professional Registered Nurses Honor Guard, made up mostly of retired nurses, travels across the region to pay tribute to nurses who have passed away. The ceremonies serve as a final act of care, recognizing both the dedication of the nurse and the impact of their career on their families.

“It gives honor to the nurse and her career as a nurse, because when you’re a nurse, it’s not just involving the nurse, it involves your family,” said Pamela Bollinger, a retired nurse with the Honor Guard. “So it also gives closure for the family for that nursing career. It is an honor for us to do it.”

Each service includes a traditional Nightingale tribute, a brief but symbolic ceremony rooted in respect and gratitude. During the tribute, members perform a “last call,” ringing a bell and calling the nurse’s name. When there is no answer, they formally release the nurse from duty.

“We do a last call and ring a bell, call the nurse’s name, and when she doesn’t answer, we relieve her from her nursing duties and take over for her,” Bollinger said. “We present a white rose to her, and we also present a lantern to the family in her memory.”

For families, the tribute provides comfort and recognition of their loved one’s life work. David Capaul said the Honor Guard’s presence at his mother Jo Ann Capaul’s funeral in December left a lasting impression.

“I was honored with the new program when my mother passed away,” Capaul said. “They came and honored her, and it was a wonderful program that they did.”

In Lenawee County alone, members of the Honor Guard, both retired and active nurses, have honored at least 40 nurses in recent years. Bollinger said the group’s first ceremony, for Capaul’s mother, remains especially meaningful.

“Doing it for his mother meant a lot to us because they were the first one that we ever did,” she said. “So it just even meant more for all of us that participated that day.”

As the group continues its work, members say their mission remains simple: to ensure no nurse’s legacy of care goes unrecognized.