Resident honored through weekly lunch dates
In the spring of 2020, Hope Residence resident Shannon was honored with a drive-by birthday parade. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the drive-by parade was the safest way to celebrate her 45th birthday with family and friends. Adorned in a custom birthday sash, Shannon could barely contain her excitement as car after car drove by.
Nearly a year later, in the same location, Shannon’s loved ones gathered to honor her life. Shannon was recently called home to Heaven. More than 150 individuals, including Shannon’s family, friends, and Hope Residence team members and residents, bundled up for the memorial service. Pastor Patrick Feldhus, chaplain at Hope, led the service. Shannon’s siblings and nephew spoke and shared memories of Shannon.
“Shannon was present at almost all the “Worship at the Cross” services I led at Hope. She was one of the most active participants. She would pray for good weather so she could celebrate a special outing or outdoor activity with her friends at Hope,” said Pastor Patrick Feldhus, Chaplain at Hope. “She definitely knew who Jesus was and she cheered whenever we talked about going to heaven to live with Jesus forever.”
Shannon had called Hope her home for nearly two decades. After living at home and watching her siblings move out of her family home, she realized that she wanted to have her own place. Her parents began to look at various options, which included Hope and area group homes.
“I wanted her to have a continuous group of people who knew her, and she knew them. We were looking for a safe, happy place for Shannon to be, and she found a family who loved her,” said Joyce Noll, Shannon’s mother.
Shannon was a social butterfly and served as the unofficial Hope greeter to all who entered.
“She was the life of the party here at Hope. She loved parties, especially bingo and chip-and-dip parties,” said Judy Vogel, Shannon’s unit manager at Hope. “She loved Christmas and made Christmas a magical experience for everyone. She got so excited about the presents and Santa coming.”
During a recent “Worship at the Cross” service prayer request, a friend of Shannon’s and resident at Hope asked Pastor Feldhus, “Pastor, will you please ask God to send Shannon back from Heaven so she can come to my birthday party?”
Pastor Feldhus, replied “Bruce, how about I ask God to let Shannon plan a birthday party for you in Heaven? This way, Shannon can celebrate your birthday with Jesus, the angels, and all the saints in glory.”
Bruce smiled, laughed, and clapped. He thought that was a great idea for her to celebrate his birthday in Heaven with Jesus.
Throughout the years, Shannon’s family, especially her mother, Joyce, has grown close to the team at Hope. She continues to stay involved with Hope. With restrictions from COVID-19 in place, Shannon could not leave the community, so her mother would bring her a meal from Dairy Queen.
Since Shannon passed, Joyce has continued this tradition by bringing lunch from Dairy Queen for a different resident each week. She calls early in the week to discuss whom she is going to bring lunch for and often talks to the resident directly to find out exactly what he or she would like for his or her special meal. She requests that the resident sit out front so that she can see him or her when she drops off the meal, just as Shannon used to do.
“I want them to know they are appreciated and that somebody cares about them,” said Joyce. “I tell everybody, it is selfish. It is a memory of her that I am bringing back.”
“Shannon’s legacy lives on. She is home in Heaven, celebrating with Jesus. We are blessed to have had more than two decades with her on Earth,” said Debra Wilbright, regional director of disability services in Minn. “She was active in our Jesus Cares Ministries programming and loved to sing to Jesus.”
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