Our Founders
Wade Aycock
Cecelia Furey, R.N.
Pat Green
Marjorie G. Harrington, LCSW
Carol Pendelton, R.N.
Josephine Roach
Tecla Shaw
Agnes Anderson Weeks
Leta Williams
Treasure Coast Hospice – 40 Years of Caring
When Marjorie “Nunie” Harrington began her journey to Miami in 1978, she hoped to bring hospice care to the Treasure Coast of Florida. If she only knew how her journey would spark a fire to bring end-of-life care to our community.
Her vision to provide hospice care ignited passion in other dedicated volunteers, like Carol Pendleton, Leta Williams, Tecla Shaw and Cecelia Furey, RN. Today, we are grateful to all of our founders who worked tirelessly to ensure our community would have access to compassionate, quality end-of-life care from a locally-based hospice provider.
During the past four decades, Treasure Coast Hospice has cared for generations of families. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we have expanded our programs and services, forged new partnerships and embraced innovations in hospice care to meet the growing needs of our community.
While our organization has grown to serve more than 4,000 patients annually, Treasure Coast Hospice remains dedicated to its mission and to the legacy of its founders: to provide holistic patient-centered care and comfort to patients and families at the end of life.
Treasure Coast Hospice - Stories
An Afternoon of Fishing (1989)
In October 1989, Tecla Shaw, one of Treasure Coast Hospice’s founders and a patient visitor volunteer, learned that one of her patients, 83-year-old-Charlie, loved fishing. Always one to encourage her patients to “get up, get out and enjoy life,” Tecla drove him to the beach. Charlie caught a 16-pound barracuda with Tecla’s help. Tecla described the fishing adventure this way: “We drove back to the TCH office to show everybody the fish. We had fun! You can’t see it in the picture, but I was soaking wet and I didn’t care.” Less than two months later, Tecla delivered the eulogy on that same beach surrounded by Charlie’s fishing buddies.
Flying Home (1991)
The Treasure Coast Hospice Team helped arrange a flight home to Dunbar, West Virginia for a Ft. Pierce patient who wanted to spend her last days with family members in her hometown. Treasure Coast Hospice RN Jamie Wright accompanied Linda Cunningham on the surprise flight home courtesy of AirLifeline, a nonprofit organization that transports terminally ill people thanks to the generosity of private pilots who donate their time and aircraft.
Wedding Ceremony (2013)
Wedding bells rang at TCH’s St. Lucie IPU on July 8, 2013, as more than a dozen staff and residents gathered to watch patient James McGill marry his longtime girlfriend Tammy Sparks. The newlyweds had met 11 years earlier but his illness kept the couple from marrying. McGill proposed to his long-time sweetheart on the 4th of July. Four days later, TCH Chaplain Kristen Bjorn performed the wedding ceremony, fulfilling one of McGill’s final wishes. As the special afternoon came to a close, McGill said “I’ve been waiting for a while to marry her and now she’s mine!” This was only one of many wedding ceremonies arranged for patients over the years.
Treasure Coast Hospice - Anniversary Reflections
As longtime volunteers, Mike Herbach, Eileen Emery, and Charity Ginger shared their thoughts about what Treasure Coast Hospice’s 40th Anniversary means to them. Click here to watch the videos.
Treasure Coast Hospice Milestones
1982 - Hospice of the Treasure Coast receives state license and opens office in Ft. Pierce.
1982 - Hospice auxiliary members, later known as Founding Friends of Treasure Coast Hospice, hold the first Snowflake Ball.
1988 - Since opening, Hospice of the Treasure Coast helps 500 patients.
1989 - Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation established to support services beyond general patient care.
1992 - Harper Inpatient Unit opens in Stuart.
1995 - First Camp Good Grief held, providing a weekend of hope and healing for 26 children.
1994 - First hospice Thrift Store opens in Ft Pierce.
1996 - Hay-Madeira Inpatient Unit opens in Stuart; officially named in 2006.
1998 - Eight-bed Inpatient Unit opens in Fort Pierce.
2002 - Mayes Center opens in Stuart.
2004 - Hospice of the Treasure Coast and Hospice of Martin and St. Lucie merge to become Treasure Coast Hospice.
2004 - Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne destroy Fort Pierce Inpatient Unit.
2007 - St. Lucie County Inpatient Unit opens, offering 16 private suites for patients.
2009 - Treasure Coast Hospice serves 3,000+ patients in Martin and St. Lucie counties.
2011 - Thomas Counseling Center (TCC) opens in Ft. Pierce next to St. Lucie County Inpatient Unit.
2011 - Patient pet care program formed, later to become Treasured Pets.
2013 – Specialized Pediatric Program, Little Treasures, established to care for children and families with life-limiting illness.
2015 - Treasure Coast Hospice becomes one of 141 hospices nationwide selected to participate in the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Care Choices Model.
2016 - St. Lucie Inpatient Unit garden officially opens.
2018 - Treasure Coast Hospice begins $1M renovation project for all three Inpatient Units, investing in state-of-the-art medical equipment and patient care enhancements.
2019 - Newly renovated St. Lucie Inpatient Unit dedicated as The Lynch Pavilion to honor the wishes of an anonymous donor who left a generous bequest.
2020 – Treasure Coast Hospice certified as Great Place to Work.
2021 - Treasure Coast Hospice opens an office in Okeechobee County.
2021 – Treasure Coast Hospice earns Level 5 We Honor Veterans distinction.
2022 – Treasure Coast Hospice certified as Great Place to Work for the third year in a row.