Nurse Honor Guard Banner

Honoring those who have dedicated their lives to the nursing profession in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

Our History & Purpose

The Nurse Honor Guard was created in 2003 to recognize a nurse's career-long dedication, similar to military or first responder honors. In 2022, Jacqueline Fields founded our local chapter to serve the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

— Jacqueline Fields, Founder
NSV Nurse Honor Guard group photo
Nightingale Lamp

National Roots

Founded on a tradition of honor, the movement began in 2003 via the Kansas State Nurses Association. In 2011, Julia Godby Murray established the National Nurses Honor Guard Coalition, which has since grown to over 200 chapters. Our tribute is officially sanctioned by the American Nurses Association (ANA).

The Nightingale Tribute

A solemn and beautiful ceremony rooted in the traditions of the nursing profession — performed with reverence, dignity, and love.

I

The Guard of Honor

Members of the Nurse Honor Guard enter in their traditional white uniforms, caps, and capes — standing as honorary pallbearers for their fallen colleague. Their presence is a silent testament to a shared calling and a life devoted to care.

II

The Nightingale Lamp

A symbolic Nightingale lamp is ceremonially lit in the nurse's honor. The flame represents the light they carried throughout their career — their dedication, compassion, and the irreplaceable warmth they brought to every patient in their care.

III

The Final Call to Duty

The nurse's name is called aloud — once, twice, three times. When there is no response, they are officially and lovingly released from their earthly duties. It is a final, profound acknowledgment of a life given in service.

“She has answered her last call to duty and is now at rest.”

A white rose laid to rest

Northern Shenandoah Valley

Our Team

A collective 209+ years of nursing experience — united in honoring those who gave their careers to care.

Chapter Leadership

Jacqueline Fields

Jacqueline Fields

President & Founder

50 Years of Service

With over 50 years dedicated to the nursing profession, Jacqueline Fields has witnessed firsthand the immense sacrifices nurses make throughout their careers. When she learned of the Nurse Honor Guard tradition, she felt compelled to bring it to the Northern Shenandoah Valley — believing that every nurse who has given so much deserves a meaningful farewell. She founded the chapter in 2022 with the conviction that no nurse should pass without being honored by those who truly understand the weight and the beauty of the work.
Cynthia Moore

Cynthia Moore

Vice President

28 Years of Service

Cynthia Moore knew she wanted to be a nurse from the age of six, and she never wavered from that calling. She began her career at the historic Stuart Circle Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, where she developed the clinical foundation and deep sense of purpose that would define her 28 years in nursing. Now a proud member of the NSV Nurse Honor Guard, Cynthia brings that same lifelong dedication to honoring the colleagues who shaped the profession she has loved since childhood.
Tina Carter

Tina Carter, RN

Secretary

Bio coming soon

LeAnn Gochenour

LeAnn Gochenour, RN

Treasurer

Bio coming soon

Chapter Members

Callie Dove

Callie Dove

40 Years of Service

Callie Dove spent 40 dedicated years as a nurse at Warren Memorial Hospital, becoming a beloved figure in the Shenandoah Valley healthcare community. Her commitment to the profession deepened when her own daughter chose to follow in her footsteps and become a nurse — a moment that crystallized for Callie just how profoundly nursing shapes not only patients' lives, but entire families.
Kay Largent

Kay Largent

Bio coming soon

Aljune Lee

Aljune Lee

Bio coming soon

Michelle Lee

Michelle Lee

Bio coming soon

Sandy Morris

Sandy Morris

43 Years of Service

Sandy Morris began her nursing journey with her graduation in 1977, embarking on what would become a 43-year career of compassionate care. For Sandy, joining the NSV Nurse Honor Guard was a natural extension of the values she had lived by throughout her professional life. She considers it a profound privilege to honor fellow nurses at the end of their journeys — a small but meaningful way to say thank you to those who gave so much of themselves to care for others.
Becky Myers

Becky Myers

Bio coming soon

Joann Nichols

Joann Nichols

Bio coming soon

Ann Racey

Ann Racey

Bio coming soon

Leigh Ann Simmons

Leigh Ann Simmons

Bio coming soon

Margaret Walters

Margaret Walters

48 Years of Service

Margaret brought 48 years of experience in Emergency Room and Critical Care nursing to the NSV Nurse Honor Guard. Having long admired the solemn traditions surrounding military and first responder honors, she was deeply moved when she discovered that a similar tribute existed for nurses. She joined the Guard as a founding member, eager to extend that same dignity and recognition to colleagues who had spent their lives in service to others — often at great personal cost.

Serve Those Who Served

Join the Honor Guard

The NSV Nurse Honor Guard is composed of any active or retired Registered Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthetist or Licensed Practical Nurse in good standing.

Services

Upon request, the Northern Shenandoah Valley Nurse Honor Guard will:

Attend all services wearing the traditional white uniform, cap and cape

Recite the Nightingale Tribute at the funeral or memorial service

Stand guard at the casket or urn at the service

Perform the last call to duty

Present the Nightingale lamp to the family, if desired

Serve as honorary pallbearers

Nurse Honor Guard Membership Application

Join our dedicated team of nurses providing ceremonial honors for deceased nurses.

Personal Information

Professional Information

Availability Preferences

Additional Information

Mark Your Calendar

Upcoming Events

Loading events...

Our Presence in the Community

The Nightingale Tribute

Honor a nurse who answered the call.

Our services are provided at no cost — a labor of love for those who gave their lives to care.

Request a Tribute

Nurses We Have Honored

In Memoriam

We are honored to have stood alongside these dedicated nurses at their final call to duty. Each life represented here touched countless others through a career of compassionate care.

Loading tributes...

Request a Tribute

If you would like to honor a colleague or loved one with the Nightingale Tribute, please complete the form below. Our services are a labor of love and provided at no cost.

Serving Front Royal, Winchester, and the Northern Shenandoah Valley