Sister Francine Gries, right, is retiring from St. Francis Hospice, which she founded 26 years ago. She is shown here at a June 30 tea in her honor with longtime hospice volunteer Judy Muranaka, the 2003 Clerical Volunteer of the Year.
70 years of service
Sister Francine is the founder
of Hawaii's first and largest
hospice program
Sister Francine Gries, 83, is retiring as executive director of St. Francis Hospice, which she founded in 1978, but her schedule appears busier than ever.
"I will use my energies for St. Francis Medical Center," she said, adding the hope that she also can visit Kalaupapa, where she worked 7 1/2 years, and fish off the rocks -- a favorite pastime.
Sister's party
A celebration recognizing Sister Francine Gries' contributions will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Honolulu Country Club, 1690 Puumalu St.Instead of gifts, she asks that donations be made to St. Francis Hospice.
The luncheon costs $30. Call St. Francis Hospice for a reservation, 595-7566.
She will remain active as a board member of St. Francis Community Health Services, a subsidiary of the St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii for which she is also a board member.
The Community Health Services board oversees St. Francis Hospice, St. Francis Home Care, St. Francis Health Services for Senior Citizens, Lifeline, Parish NursesCommunity Outreach and Mobile Van Services.
Sister Francine has been with the Sisters of St. Francis for 70 years and St. Francis Hospice for nearly 26 years.
"I think it's time I let people I worked with throughout the years and trained take the reins and carry on the work," she said.
A celebration recognizing her contributions is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Honolulu Country Club.
The first and largest hospice program in Hawaii, it includes the 12-bed Sister Maureen Keleher Center in Nuuanu, the 24-bed Maurice J. Sullivan Family Hospice Center in Ewa Beach and a home hospice program serving more than 100 patients.
Joy Yadao will succeed Sister Francine as the hospice's executive director. Gary Simon is director, and Michael Warren, vice president, of St. Francis Community Health Services.
Warren, who worked with Sister Francine for 22 years as hospice director, said, "Sister has been very straightforward with one purpose, to help the dying in Hawaii and to educate the people in Hawaii about hospice care."
Sister Francine joined the order in 1934. She entered Convent School in Syracuse, N.Y., at age 13. She earned degrees in nursing at St. Joseph's Hospital, Boston College and Syracuse University.
She went to St. Francis Medical Center in 1956 as a registered nurse and in 1957 was assigned to Kalaupapa where she completed two three-year terms as "superior."
She returned to Syracuse and worked in several capacities, including director of nursing, at Mercy Hospital.
Sister Maureen, chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Center, asked her to return here in 1978 to start the first hospice.
Sister Francine has trained thousands of staff and volunteers here and from other countries, organized national and statewide hospice conferences and traveled to other countries to teach the hospice concept. Her volunteer training curriculum is used worldwide, and she has contributed to development of other hospice programs around the state.
She started an annual interdenominational service to honor family members who died the previous year. She also developed an annual tree-lightning ceremony at both St. Francis Hospice sites, where families and friends remember deceased loved ones during the holidays.
She will continue to assist the hospice program as a consultant and to mentor hospice employees and volunteers.
"It has been a joy, a real joy," Sister Francine said. "What we have been able to do is help people through a very difficult time in their life, families as well as the patient. What we actually do is walk them through the process of dying. ...
"I think with the way the health care system is going, there will need to be more hospices."
