Candace, Barb & Staff - We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making a beautiful funeral and holding our hands gently along the way while we were still in shock and not prepared for my little brothers death. This was the worst thing that could have ever happened to us. So we greatly appreciate the love and kindness you all showed

Dear Kari - I wanted to thank you for all of your hard work and attention to detail when planning my Daughter's funeral. You made everything beautiful! D. looked like a little princess. You have a true gift!

We would like to sincerely thank you for all of your generous gifts to our family! Your staff is absolutely exceptional. D. was out little princess sent from God. We are truly blessed to have been her parents

To whom it may concern: I am writing to thank you and to commend the very professional work of one of your employees. Unfortunately, I do not know her name, but I am hoping you will be able to identify her by my description. I am a nurse at Ames Family Hospice House. I was working on Friday, March 29th when one of my patients, a 4 week old baby girl named A. V., passed away. The family was Spanish speaking, and there were 3 older siblings present. So as you can imagine, it was a very anguished and difficult situation. Our care was compromised not only by the language barrier but also because we were dealing with a very reserved and reticent family. Although they were reluctant to share their feeling verbally ( we had a translator present), they were very emotive and tearful, so we felt hopeless in our attempts to console them. It was also very clear that they were reluctant to let the baby go. They held her and cried for 3 hours after she died. What could have been a very negative and messy scene was averted by the very respectful and warm handling of this situation by your employee when she arrived to take the baby. For the past two days since the baby was admitted, we had been trying to create an atmosphere of caring, peace, and security for the family, while respecting their culture and privacy. I think I would have remembered your employee's name had it not been for the high anxiety of the situation. I want to thank her for her patient and sensitive handling of the situation. She took the time to allow the parents to say goodbye again, and reassured then through the translator that she would take good care of their baby. When she carried the baby out, she handled her as if she were a treasure. She followed through with our mission of deep respect and empathy. Never underestimate how important your role is in end of life care. I especially appreciate how this particular instance was handled because I have experienced its opposite: funeral home personnel arriving in unprofessional dress, with uncaring attitude and mind elsewhere. Your employee was totally present, and visibly moved by what she was experiencing. I felt as if she was on our team. Thank you so much for your role in providing a positive experience in a very difficult situation.

Dear John, I would like to convey how deeply impressed we are by your outstanding overseeing of our mom’s final earthly care. You are an outstanding gentleman, professional, polite, kind, compassionate, and helpful, and a completely competent countenance. Very rare anymore and not to be forgotten- ever! Thank you so much for all you gave and did. You surely did soothe “the sting of death” and I know Mom is “safely home” with the Lord. Gratefully,