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The Nurse Honor Guard is a free service that provides a memorial of the Nightingale tribute performed by volunteer nurses.
A Nightingale tribute service is a ceremony that releases a nurse who has passed, from their nursing duties. We offer live tributes for those on hospice services. This ceremony is similar to a military honor guard. With the reading of the Nightingale Tribute, offering of a white flower, ringing of a bell, and extinguishing of the Nightingale lantern, the nurse is relieved of their sacred vows and devotion to the nursing profession.
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The ceremony is comprised of current and/or retired volunteer nurses from the Southeast Michigan area. The ceremony can be customized to include more specific details on the nurses work history and contribution to the Nursing profession if desired. The family may bring and set up items for a memorial table of any nurse items he/she may have used during their years as a nurse. Items may include his/her nurse cap, cape, diploma, awards, stethoscope, graduation picture, etc.
Request a Service
If you are a family member, friend, or funeral director looking to request a service, please fill out the form below and someone will be in contact with you within the next 72 hours.
Ceremonies are typically held at the beginning of a service or right before the rosary, lasting less than 10 minutes.
Nightingale Tribute
Nursing is a calling, a lifestyle, a way of living.
Nurses here today honor Name and his/her life as a nurse
Name is not remembered by his/her years as a nurse, but by the difference he/she made during those years by stepping into people’s lives… by special moments:
Name Was There
When a calming, quiet presence was all that was needed,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
In the excitement and miracle of birth or in the mystery and loss of life,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
When a silent glance could uplift a patient, family member or friend,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
At those times when the unexplainable needed to be explained,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
When the situation demanded a swift foot and sharp mind,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
When a gentle touch, a firm push, or an encouraging word was needed,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
In choosing the best one from a family’s “Thank You” box of chocolates,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
To witness humanity—its beauty, in good times and bad, without judgment,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
To embrace the woes of the world, willingly, and offer hope,
Name was there. (spoken in unison)
And now that it is time to be at the Greater One’s side,
Name IS there. (spoken in unison)
© Duane Jaeger, RN, MSN
Name, we honor you this day and give you a white rose to symbolize our honor and appreciation for being our colleague.
Name (ring triangle) Name (ring triangle) Name (ring triangle)
We officially release you of your nursing duties.
(extinguish lamp and give to family member with quiet condolences)