Photo provided by Upper Peninsula Nurses Honor Guard Members of the Upper Peninsula Nurses Honor Guard perform a ceremony at the gravesite of a nurse at Lakeside Cemetery in Hancock Friday.

HANCOCK — “Nursing is giving up oneself to enhance the lives of others, and so we acknowledge her nursing practice and know that her accomplishments can be measured in the lives she affected through knowledge, dedication and caring.”

At Lakeside Cemetery in Hancock Friday, nurses from around the Upper Peninsula provided a final act of service to one of their own.

Since 2019, the Upper Peninsula Nurses Honor Guard has performed ceremonies to honor nurses at their funerals throughout the U.P.

Anyone who has been licensed as a nurse is eligible for the honor.

“It’s a sisterhood,” said Lauri Oberdorfer, coordinator for the western Upper Peninsula.

The concept grew out of one started by the Kansas State Nurse association and a group of hospital nurses in Detroit in 2003. Eight years later, it became a nationwide coalition founded by Michigan nurse Julia Murray. The U.P. chapter was founded by Escanaba nurse Barb VanRooy, who also started the Veterans Honor Flight.

Friday’s nurses came from Marquette and Iron Mountain.

“We knew that we had a colleague who had passed, and so we wanted to honor her,” said Marquette nurse Mary Maki. “So we came from other areas to do that for her and her family.”

The nurses’ ceremony lasts about five minutes. They put on a traditional nurse uniform with a white nurse’s cap, joined with a blue and red cape. They also carry a Florence Nightingale lamp, modeled after the ones the famous nurse carried while tending to injured soldiers during the Crimean war.

“It is overwhelming,” Maki said. “It’s like seeing the fire department with all of their regalia on, and all of their uniforms.”

During the ceremony, nurses recite the Nightingale tribute. A white rose was placed on the casket to symbolize the nurse’s dedication.

They then perform a final call, reciting the nurse’s name and “please report to duty.” Each recitation is followed by a chime.

After the third chime, a nurse intones, “We now release you from your earthly nursing duties. Please know that your work will be continued by your colleagues.”

They then present the Nightingale lamp to the family.

Watching the ceremony Friday was Michele Donahue, who has been a nurse locally for 36 years, including 22 years as director of nursing for Portage Home Services.

She hadn’t known about the honor guard until the night before the funeral. After seeing it in action, she wants to start a chapter locally. She hopes to have members lined up in the next four to six weeks.

“What I saw, and the family and how they reacted, was really incredible,” she said. “So I just want to keep that offered for other families in the area too … I feel like it will be a huge success, and there will be many nurses willing to join and help.”

The services only happen at the families’ request. That can mean gravesides or funerals. “And we don’t mind traveling,” Pam Maule said, especially on a sunny day like Friday.

But they show up regardless of the weather. They remembered one where they performed the ceremony outside during a downpour.

“We were wet — holy cow,” said Sandy Sarasin.

The families are “overwhelmed” and “grateful,” the nurses said.

“They just think the service is so beautiful,” Jenny Nault said.

All nurses have something in common, Maki said.

“You don’t become a nurse unless you are someone who is a nurturer and someone who wants the best for other people, and you want to be able to be a part of that relationship,” she said.

There are about 70 nurses across the four chapters in the Upper Peninsula. There’s no local chapter yet.

“We’re attempting to get a group across the U.P. so that each area has someone or a group that can do a service,” Nault said.

Any families of nurses who are interested in having the U.P. Nurses Honor Guard perform a ceremony at the funeral can contact their funeral home for information. More information is also available at the Upper Peninsula Nurses Honor Guard Facebook page.