From left: Mary Ann McPhail, Claudia Schramm, grief counselor, and McPhail's daughter Pelma Willmott attended the fellowship activity following the grief remembrance service. Photo credit: Julia A. Yubeta.
WBAMC hosts grief remembrance ceremony
Julia A. Yubeta, WBAMC Public Affairs
More than 120 family members, friends and hospital staff gathered to honor, console and pray for members of the Fort Bliss community who passed away during the past year at William Beaumont Army Medical Center.
The WBAMC Grief Support Team held its third annual service of remembrance 10 a.m. Sunday at Chapel One. The service is a joint project of the WBAMC Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care and the grief team.
Col. Lenore S. Enzel, former deputy commander of Patient Services and Nursing at WBAMC, quoted President John Adams in her welcoming remarks to family members, saying, "Grief drives men to serious reflection, sharpens the understanding and softens the heart." She told the family members she hoped the service would help heal their hearts and let them know the WBAMC staff will never forget their loved ones.
"We are grateful for the privilege to have cared for your loved ones, thankful for their lives, thankful for the time we had with them," said Enzel.
During the memorial meditation, Chaplain (Maj.) Gale Cotton, senior chaplain clinician, WBAMC Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care, shared his experience with grieving when his younger brother died unexpectedly at an early age.
"The pain seemed ceaseless," said Cotton. "My brother was gone and wouldn't be coming back. It cuts deep. I know from God's word that we will be with our loved ones again in the life hereafter, but we have to say goodbye for now."
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) David Norvell, chief of WBAMC's Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care, provided the benediction for the service, praying that God would provide strength and comfort to the family members as they mourned their loved ones.
Many of the family members stayed for fellowship in the Religious Activities Center adjacent to the chapel. Claudia K. Schramm, a Grief Support Team counselor, joined the team after her husband died.
"People ask me how I can do this," said Schramm. "Volunteering for the grief team gives me a sense of peace and contentment. Strength is drawn from the love and courage witnessed among the grieving family members."
Schramm was a grief counselor to the family members of retired Sgt. 1st. Class William E. McPhail. Mary Ann McPhail and Pelma Willmot said they were grateful for the opportunity to honor their husband and father.
"We were married for 53 years; he was such a kind and honorable man," said Mary. Esther Gray, whose husband, retired Chief Petty Officer Arthur R. Gray, passed away in November 2006, attended the memorial service.
"I was so pleased to get the card in the mail announcing the remembrance service," said Gray. "God called home a wonderful person, and it was important that I come today to honor my husband and his life."
"Death stops life, not a relationship," said Laura Gorby, grief team counselor, in her remarks during the service. "The more I learn about death, the more I learn how to live. We only mourn because we have loved."
The Grief Support Team was spearheaded in 2004 by Enzel and Chaplain (Maj.) Steven Broadus. Their vision was to have a team of trained grief counselors who respond immediately when notified of a patient's death.
Upon the death of a patient hospitalized at WBAMC, a Grief Support Team member is notified. Their sole responsibility is to assess and attend to the needs of the surviving family members and then follow up with the family by making regular contact for 13 months following the loss.