A longtime Victoria Hospice volunteer, Jean Davey was known for her gifts of time and roses. She offered more than 4,500 hours support for patients and families before she died on the Inpatient Unit this spring.
“She loved to bring her prized roses to the unit, sometimes with a particular patient in mind who she thought would enjoy them,” her daughter Catherine says. “She was a very caring and gracious woman, and it meant a lot to her to support people and bear witness at the end of life. Hospice was really special to her.”
Jean was special to Victoria Hospice too, and is well loved and remembered by staff and fellow volunteers. “She was a consummate lady with a heart of gold,” volunteer Lionel Zelniker says.
Jean was awarded an honorary lifetime membership in the Victoria Hospice Society in 2007 for her compassionate service. She was a volunteer on the unit and the Rooftop Garden, and supported fundraising events, including Celebrate a Life and the Teeny Tiny Garden Tour.
When Jean approached the end of her life, the environment at hospice offered Jean and her family comfort, Catherine says.
“They make you feel like family,” she says. “They’re not just caring for your loved one, but they were caring for me too. I felt love here – for my mom, and for my family.”
Like her mom, Catherine’s also a devoted volunteer, giving her time to the food bank.
“Some of the most beautiful moments of my life have come from interactions with people I meet in my volunteer role. It’s a transcendental thing – it lifts you up. That’s what my Mom had here at hospice.”