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For hospice caregivers across the country, COVID-19 replaced hugs, hand-holding and togetherness with masks, reduced physical contact and limited visits from family and friends.

Anyone who knew Max Hoffman remembers he was always up to something. Max was a busy man with more than a few hobbies throughout his life, usually revolving around family and helping others.

A mother’s strength is unparalleled. Chad Thomas’ mother, Eileen, was no exception. Eileen was Chad’s rock, his phone call on the way home after work in the evening. It didn’t surprise Chad to learn that when his mother was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2013, she first thought of her family and how they would cope with the journey ahead.

For Marty Walker, watching the Philadelphia Phillies takes him back to childhood. In his family’s home outside of Philadelphia, Marty’s father’s love for the Phillies was contagious. When Masonic Village Hospice staff heard how the Phillies impacted Marty’s childhood, they knew they had to arrange a trip for Marty to enjoy one last game.

There are many stigmas about hospice care. However, as those who work in hospice come to find, hospice isn’t just about death and dying. It’s about making every moment count. Masonic Village Hospice provides internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain first-hand experience.

Lee Beach’s wife, Betty Jane, loved ice cream, specifically classic vanilla topped with pieces of a Snickers candy bar. She radiated positive energy and found joy in life’s littlest pleasures. As a registered nurse for more than 40 years, she also had a kind and nurturing heart. This is why Lee, upon first sight of Betty Jane, knew he’d found the one he’d spend the next 65 years chasing after. “I was in the Air Force at the time, and Betty Jane’s nursing school invited us to a dance,” Lee recalls. “When I saw her from across the room,

105-year-old Florence Methlie has been the connecting link for many people throughout her lifetime. Whether she was connecting people to their loved ones via her job at the Bell Telephone Company or being the glue that held her own family together, Florence has always had a way with people. More than a century of living gives Florence, a Masonic Village Hospice patient, quite a bit to reflect on. Like a crystal ball, when in her presence, countless individuals ask Florence for the secret to a long life. She discovered the secret to her health and longevity may be the