Cindi Goron, a longtime nurse at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, said on May 6 that she joined the Chicagoland Nurse Honor Guard to honor her late sister and other nurses who have passed away. Goron’s sister, Sandy Roots, served as House Supervisor at Silver Cross until her death in 2022 after five decades of service.
The Nurse Honor Guard provides final call services during funerals and memorials for nurses. Goron said, “We nurses call ourselves sisters. But of course, men are nurses, too. In fact, the Chicagoland chapter was founded in 2019 in memory of Frank Aguilar, a 32-year-old nurse who was shot on his way home from working at Misericordia.”
Goron highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the Chicagoland Nurse Honor Guard during National Nurses Week in May. The national organization began in Kansas in 2002 and now has around 300 local chapters across the United States.
Members attend services at the request of families or funeral directors and travel within a fifty-mile radius to participate. “How often and where really fluctuates,” Goron said. “In February, we had three. Then we went a while without one. The most recent was in Hazel Crest. The number who participate also varies since a lot of member nurses are working.” She added that their presence often brings comfort to mourners: “There’s often an audible gasp (of gratitude).”
Honor guard members wear traditional white uniforms with caps and blue capes lined with red—a nod to World War I Red Cross nurses—while male participants wear white shirts and pants. Services last about fifteen minutes and include readings such as ‘The Nightingale Pledge’ and ‘Nurses Prayer,’ along with a symbolic ‘Final Call to Duty.’ “This is the final call for those who have served selflessly and given their lives for the good of their fellow man; their tasks are complete, their duties are done, and they are going home,” Goron said.
She noted that this tribute is free for all active or retired nurses: “It’s such a touching addition to a final service, and I wish more people were aware of it.” For more information about joining or requesting services from Chicagoland Nurse Honor Guard, individuals can contact chapter president Charlene Gallion.
