Meet Bob Ashby Wings: Tell us a little about yourself. Bob: I am retired (72yrs old). I was raised in the state of Wyoming, on a farm & cattle operation an hour from Yellowstone Park. I am an Army vet (where I accepted Christ) with 10yrs combined in classified communications and later as a chaplain’s assistant. I have a BA in Biblical/Pastoral studies and a Post-BA education degree. After teaching, I was in Security for Holland Hosp. for 12yrs. Over the last 25 years, I have worked with the Holland Police Dept. as a victim advocate (22 years), taught Bible at the Family facility for the Ho ..read more

Meet Emily Heavener Wings: Tell us a little about yourself. Emily: My name is Emily Heavener. I am 38 years old. I live in Hamilton with my husband of 15 years, Mike, and our 2 kids. Gerrit is 8 years old and Madison is 4 years old. I enjoy being active and playing sports. I play softball, volleyball, and tennis regularly. I also love warm weather and going to the beach. I am an RN with 10 years of experience working in hospice, both in an 18 bed inpatient hospice house and also doing weekend on-call. I like to be involved as a volunteer at my son’s school and recently started working for the ..read more

Thinking through Plans for Mrs. Smith’s Exit Mrs. Smith’s daughter Elizabeth recently called Wings of Hope for the first time, not knowing if she really wanted to make the call. Her mother had been suffering from chronic disease. Elizabeth knew she needed help in keeping her mother at home. At Wings of Hope, we know how tough that first phone call can be. We are trained in compassionately presenting options to families when a loved one needs our care. We first want to know what is going on and what your needs are. Are you having difficulty getting back and forth to doctor’s appointments, hospi ..read more

Meet Amy Manning Wings: Tell us a little about yourself. Amy: I’m 45 years old and the mother of 2 amazing daughters aged 13 and 18. I’ve been married to my amazing and supportive husband for 20 years. I grew up in a small town in southwest Ohio…Michigan fans I am an OSU fan! I enjoy a good sense of humor of which was passed down from my father’s side of the family. My paternal grandparents are from the Holland, MI area so moving up to Michigan 5 years ago felt a bit like coming home. I earned my bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in education from University of Dayton and Miami University ..read more

Meet Sylvia Flahaut Wings: Tell us a little about yourself. I was born in Illinois and have lived in Allegan County since age 5. I graduated from Allegan High School and stayed in the area. I was married at 19 and raised two children with my husband, Wally. We used the services of the Wings Home in 2016 when Wally passed away from Leukemia. I spent most of my working life at Allegan General Hospital, retiring in 2011. I wanted something meaningful to do with some of my time so I started volunteering at the Wings Home and also Allegan District Library “Friends of the Library.” I love to travel ..read more

Meet Tom Schipper Wings: Tell us a little about yourself. Tom: I am 64 years old, married to my wife of 45 years. I am now retired and have been retired since March of 2020. I live on a small farm that I was born and raised on. In my working years I have worked as a wood worker, mechanic, farmer, paramedic, firefighter, janitor, meter reader, gas pipeline welder, bus driver, RV delivery person. As you can see, I am a Jack of all trades and master of none. Wings: How long have you been volunteering with Wings? Tom: I have been volunteering with Wings of Hope since 2006. Wings: How did you get s ..read more

Wings of Hope Hospice staff were warmly welcomed at Douglas Cove Health and Rehabilitation in Douglas on Veteran’s Day to honor the veterans who live at that facility. During the pinning ceremony, each veteran received a personalized certificate of honor along with a special veteran pin. The event also included hearing a medley of the theme songs for each military branch, a patriotic reading by Wings of Hope Hospice Clinical Liaison Laura Toweson, opportunity for each veteran to tell about their time of service in the military, the singing of “God Bless America” accompanied by Wings of Hope Ho ..read more

A recent patient said she learned the meaning of the phrase, “death with dignity.” She said the Wings of Hope Hospice team cared for her with the love of God. Her case manager and bath aide had genuine concern in their voices in trying different methods to deal with her pain. Her social worker went above and beyond to build a support team for the patient. Our patient said, “The people from Wings of Hope couldn’t be replaced in 100 years because they have shown me incredible kindness, decency and respect in all the things they do for me. I now know the difference between dying and dying with di ..read more

As a hospice spiritual caregiver, it’s hard to bring comfort to a family when they are fighting. I was recently in one of those ugly scenes where a mother lay dying while her children and grandchildren argued around her bed. They quarreled about the family estate and what would be the best care for their mother. They had different opinions on what size the grave stone should be and whether they should have macaroni or potato salad at the funeral lunch. It was miserable and my heart went out to them as I suggested that perhaps their mother would appreciate hearing her family’s affirmation and a ..read more

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