×

Marietta Home Health and Hospice honors longtime volunteer

Marietta Home Health and Hospice aide Dusty DeLancey, left, helps longtime volunteer Marge Stacy show off her cake during an early birthday celebration at the hospice office Thursday. Stacy turns 91 on Tuesday. (Photo by Sam Shawver)

MARIETTA — Every Thursday Marge Stacy travels from her home in Lowell to Marietta where she volunteers with Marietta Home Health and Hospice.

On other days Stacy may be found singing with her chorus group for residents at area nursing homes.

This weekend she’ll be traveling to Columbus with her son to watch the Buckeyes face off with the Army’s Black Knights.

That’s not bad for a woman who will be celebrating her 91st birthday on Tuesday.

The Marietta Home Health and Hospice office held an early birthday party Thursday for Stacy, the organization’s oldest volunteer. She’s been with hospice for more than 10 years, and has served a total of 20 years-plus as a volunteer with the Memorial Health System.

“We know she’s going to be here every Thursday, she’s very reliable, and she always comes in ‘dressed to the nines,'” said Paula Enoch-Oliphant, volunteer coordinator for home health and hospice.

“Just staying active, being with people, and keeping up a good social life,” are Stacy’s recommendations for happy and healthy living.

She said the volunteering helps.

“I ask everyone why they don’t come out and volunteer,” Stacy said Thursday. “It’s a great way to get out and meet new people.”

The Morgan County native is a graduate of Malta and McConnelsville High School, and attended Ohio University in Athens for two years.

She taught pre-school for a few years in Morgan County before marrying Frank Stacy and moving to Washington County where Marge spent several years teaching with the local Head Start program.

“We had four children-three boys and a girl,” Stacy said. “Two of the children now live in Florida and the other two are in Ohio.”

She said Frank died 10 years ago, shortly after the couple’s 60th wedding anniversary. Her volunteer work was a help during that time.

“I had retired and my husband had passed away,” Stacy said. “And I needed to be with people.”

Thursdays are her volunteer days, which she spends part of the time assisting in the Memorial Health System’s 55-Plus outreach program, and the remainder of the day at the home health and hospice office.

Stacy addresses and sends out cards of appreciation to donors who help support the outreach program. She provides a similar service for hospice by sending birthday or “best wishes” cards to patients who are 80 years or older.

All of the envelopes are addressed and signed by hand.

“I just did 47 today,” Stacy said Thursday. “It feels like I’m helping to make a difference in their lives.”

When her volunteer day is over, Stacy heads back home to Lowell, where she’s doing more volunteer work by recruiting folks to work the food booths at Lowell’s annual Oktoberfest next month.

“I’m tired when I get home on Thursdays, but it feels good,” she said.

Enoch-Oliphant said Stacy is one of 18 active volunteers working with the hospice program, which includes retirees as well as students from Marietta College.

“We’re always searching for new volunteers,” she said, noting volunteers range in age from 20 to 91.

Volunteers are screened and undergo a required federal background check before joining the hospice team.

“We only want the best for our patients,” Enoch-Oliphant said. “Every Thursday they check on hospice patients who are living at home. Some may visit patients in nursing homes.”

She said hospice is more than just end-of-life care for those patients, who become like family members to the staff and volunteers.

“We want to provide them comfort during the end of their journey,” Enoch-Oliphant added.

She noted one patient recently wanted to have her hair done, so hospice found a hairdresser who volunteered to provide that service.

“She passed away a few days later,” Enoch-Oliphant said.

Another patient was not able to address some cards he wished to mail, and hospice volunteers did that for him.

“These may seem like simple tasks, but it means everything to the patients,” Enoch-Oliphant said.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today