South Central New York Nurses Honor Guard

06/17/2026

On Monday, June 15, 2026 the SCNYNHG performed a special tribute to the 2026 graduating class of the Broome Tioga BOCES Practical Nursing School.

This was another first for our honor guard and over half of our members were able to give this time to congratulate and welcome these new graduates into Nursing.

Well done Class of 2026!

06/14/2026

On June 13, 2026, we presented the Nightingale Tribute for Kim Goguen, RN during her funeral service held at Leon Pucedo Funeral Home, Inc., Endicott, NY.

After raising her three children, Kim returned to college and graduated from SUNY Broome School of Nursing and became a Registered Nurse. She took great pride in caring for others, and her natural compassion and gentle nature were evident both in her profession and in her everyday life. Helping people came naturally to Kim.

Kim, we recognized your service. Well done, fellow nurse. Rest in peace.

Our sincere condolences to Kim’s husband Warren; her daughter, Melinda; her son, Daniel; family and friends.

https://www.pucedofuneralhome.com/obit/2026/6/4/kim-m-goguen

06/14/2026

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nurses-honor-guard-workshop-weekend-tickets-1991828118521?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us for the Nurses Honor Guard Workshop Weekend to learn skills and honor the heroes!

05/28/2026

Today, May 28, 2026, we presented the Nightingale Tribute for Kathleen Jean Minielly-Schmieg, RN at her graveside service, Saint James Cemetery, Waverly, NY.

Jean attended Victoria Hospital School of Nursing, London, Ontario, Canada. After her graduation in 1968, she worked in their ICU. She then worked in the Surgical Recovery Room at St. Joseph's Hospital, London, before working for the Department of Oral Surgery at the University of Western Ontario, where she ran the oral surgery operating room. She immigrated to the United States in 1980 with her young family and established roots in Sayre, Pennsylvania. Jean was very active in numerous volunteer organizations throughout the "Valley." She was active in Valley Family Planning, the Guthrie Clinic Auxiliary, and the American Red Cross Blood Services, which she later converted to a paid position, winning both regional and national awards for such successful blood drives. Additionally, she taught health education courses at the three local area high schools.

Well done, Jean. We released you from your nursing duties. Your work in this life is complete. Rest in peace.

Our sincere condolences to Jean’s husband Joe, her sons, family, and friends.

https://obituaries.stcatharinesstandard.ca/obituary/kathleen-minielly-schmieg-1093676090

05/23/2026

There comes a day when the alarm clock stops ringing for 6 AM shift.

The uniform gets folded away.
The badge comes off.
And somebody finally says:

“You’re retired now.”

But old-school nurses know something the world doesn’t always understand…

A nurse never fully stops being a nurse.

Not after decades of caring for people.

Not after thousands of nights spent walking hospital hallways while the rest of the world slept.

Retired nurses still notice everything.

They still straighten blankets automatically.
Still watch people’s breathing without realizing it.
Still worry about strangers sitting alone in waiting rooms.

Because nursing was never just a paycheck.

It became part of who you were.

Many retired nurses spent:

20 years.
30 years.
Sometimes over 40 years…

Missing holidays.
Working nights.
Comforting families during the hardest moments of their lives.

And yet, most never asked for recognition.

They just showed up again and again because patients needed them.

Today, many of those nurses are grandparents.
Some move a little slower now.
Some still keep old pins, caps, or name badges tucked away in drawers.

But the compassion never left.

Neither did the strength.

So this post is for the retired nurses.

The ones who trained before computers.
Before smart pumps.
Before disposable everything.

The nurses who learned their craft by experience, instinct, and heart.

Thank you.

Hospitals may change.
Technology may change.

But nursing was built by people like you.

👩‍⚕️ Retired nurses — we would love to honor you today:

💬 How many years did you serve?
💬 What year did you start nursing?
💬 And what’s one memory from your career you still carry in your heart today?

❤️ Thank you for everything you gave to this profession.

05/17/2026

On May 15, 2026, we presented the Nightingale Tribute for Mary Ellen Wynnyk, RN during her joint funeral mass with husband William at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Binghamton, NY

Mary Ellen was a graduate of Charles S. Wilson Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, receiving her RN in 1954. Mary Ellen loved being a nurse, often telling stories of her time in training where curfews were broken with raincoats over nightgowns for late night escapes to Brozzetti's for pizza. Working at Wilson Hospital and then as a medical/surgical nurse at the Binghamton Psychiatric Center, Mary Ellen became known as “Mrs. Wynnyk in the clinic”.

Mary Ellen, we recognized your service. Well done, fellow nurse. Rest in peace.

Our sincere condolences to Mary Ellen’s son Jeffrey who invited us for this tribute, her family, and friends and especially Shirley Frailey, Jeffrey’s Godmother. Shirley, also an RN, was a beloved nursing instructor for several of our members at C. S. Wilson SON. Shirley was able to attend the funeral mass and is pictured with us holding Mary Ellen’s graduation picture.

https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/23974152/mary-ellen-wynnyk/

05/09/2026

We were invited by the Professional Nurses’ Association of South Central New York (PNASCNY) to attend the 2026 Nurses Day Breakfast on May 6, 2026 at the Holiday Inn Binghamton Hotel & Conference Center.

We were requested by Binghamton University (BU) faculty to give an abbreviated Nightingale Tribute to honor one of their colleagues who passed this last year. Terry Grabo, RN was a professor and instrumental in developing BU’s Doctorate of Nursing practice. The rose was presented to Danielle Caviness, RN, president of the PNASCNY. The lamp was accepted by BU faculty Masha Britton, RN and Yvonne Johnston, RN. They plan to send it to Terry's husband. We closed by reciting an adaptation of the Nightingale pledge.

Thank you to PNASCNY for the invitation to participate in your annual Nurses’ Day program.

05/06/2026

05/02/2026

Today, May 2, 2026, we presented the Nightingale Tribute for Debra Lee Pigos, RN at her Celebration of Life at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Endicott, NY.

Debbie graduated from Binghamton University, Decker School of Nursing and continued on to earn her Master’s Degree as a nurse practitioner. She worked locally at UHS Wilson Medical Center and in cardiology at a hospital in Williamsport, PA.

Debbie’s mother Eileen is a founding member of our honor guard. Because of this connection, Debbie, an accomplished quilter, donated many of her beautiful quilts to be used in our living tribute ceremonies for nurses nearing the end of life.

Well done, Debbie. We released you from your nursing duties. Your work in this life is complete. Rest in peace.

Our sincere condolences to Debbie’s husband Kevin, sons Alexander and Nicholas, family, and friends. Our hearts extend a special love to her mother, our friend and colleague, Eileen Ozvold, RN.

https://www.pressconnects.com/obituaries/pnys1400363