Hospice

Darrell Johnson, 66, of Camp Daniel Boone Road was a native of Jessamine County born Feb. 28, 1946, to the late Claude and Hazel Himes Johnson. He passed away Feb. 27, 2013, at the home of his daughter Carolyn. He is survived by daughters Karen Lisa Williams, Regina Galdines, Carolyn Huerta and Sandra Ramirez; a son, Kevin Lee Johnson; 22 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; sisters Shirley Masters and Loretta Holly; and nieces and nephews. A service of remembrance was held at 1 p.m. Monday at Hager & Cundiff Funeral Home.

Alma Jean Hedden Smith, 84, widow of Needham Askew Smith died Saturday, Feb. 16. Survivors are her four children, Beverly and husband David Agee, Bo Smith, Lee Ann and husband David Parker, and Kimberly Smith; four grandchildren, Buddy Baker, Ashley and Melissa Agee, and David Nelson Parker; and other family members. She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Judy Byrum. Services were held at 3 p.m. Monday at Betts & West Funeral Home with the Rev. Dewayne Brewer officiating. Burial followed in Blue Grass Memorial Gardens.

February is the month devoted to matters of the heart, so it's a great time to consider the health of this vital organ. Heart disease once was mostly associated with men, but today it is the No. 1 killer of women, accounting for half a million deaths a year. Like most illnesses, we never think it's going to happen to us. Imagine my shock when I phoned my sister-in-law to rave about a great pimento cheese she gave out at Christmas when she stopped to say, “You don't know, do you?

Richard Vaughn Burton, 49, of Nicholasville, husband of Dianah Jean Dunn Burton, died Monday, Feb. 4, surrounded by his loving family. He was born Jan. 10, 1964, to Richard and Mary Elizabeth Knight Burton. In addition to his wife and parents, he is survived by his son, Richard Christopher and wife Sara Jean Burton; his daughter, Elizabeth Victoria Burton; his granddaughter, Hadlee Jean; his brother, Matthew Burton; and special aunt and uncle Mark and Linda Burton. A gathering of family and friends to honor and celebrate Rick's life will be from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at Clark Legacy Center in Brannon Crossing.

Brenda Short doesn't have a magic wand, but some of the patients and families she has served as a Heritage Hospice volunteer think she does. Her gift is just listening carefully to what the family tells her and acting to fulfill some of its requests. One nursing home patient wished for a Coke because that type of soft drink was not available in the facility. Short told her patient she needed to run out for a minute. After a quick trip to a nearby grocery, she reappeared with the beverage her patient craved.

Kayla Noel Carter, 19, died Saturday, Jan. 19. She was born March 4, 1993, in Lexington to Sam and Jennifer Carter. Kayla was a graduate of East Jessamine High School, member of Southland Christian Church and an annual Jesus Prom participant. In addition to her parents, Kayla is survived by her brother, Austin Carter; paternal grandmother Kathy Carter; paternal grandfather Zac and wife Linda Carter; aunt Margaret and husband Mark Addison; and uncles Paul Hall Jr., Eugene Hall, and Will and wife Sherry Carter.

Heritage Hospice Inc. welcomes Donna Hankla as a nurse practitioner, Maureen Draut as volunteer coordinator and Angela Frisby as provider liaison. Hankla will assist medical director Colin Raitere with face-to-face visits with patients. She also works part-time with Bates, Miller and Sims in Stanford. She most recently worked with Bluegrass Clinic family practice in Stanford. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing and her certification as an advanced practice registered nurse at the University of Kentucky.

Elizabeth Webb White, 80, is survived by her husband, Jack Langdon White, and daughters, Rosanne (Rade) Veljkovic, Scarlett (Andy) Ryan and Liza (Francis) Thomas. Visitation, followed by a Celebration of Life, will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, at 11 a.m. at Manchester Baptist Church. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O.  Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718, or Hospice of the Bluegrass, 1020 Cumberland Falls Highway, Corbin, KY 40701.

Marcella Mae Brandenburg Roberts, passed away Dec. 27, peacefully surrounded by her family and pastor at Hospice of Dayton after a valiant fight to overcome cancer. She was born Feb. 2, 1926, in Jessamine County. Marcella retired from Third National Bank and National City Bank in Dayton after 35 years of service. She was a faithful member of the Colorado Avenue Baptist Church for more than 50 years. Marcella volunteered at Hospice of Dayton for nearly 16 years. At age 70, she began watercolor painting and since that time, she mailed more than a thousand greeting cards bearing her artwork to family and friends.

Rena East Shearer, 72, of Nicholasville died Wednesday, Dec. 19. She was born Sept. 27, 1940, in Nicholasville to the late James and Louise Burdine East. Rena is survived by her son, Jay Reynolds; daughter Dena Vincent; grandchildren Collian Vincent, Kayden Cissell and Bailey Reynolds; great-grandson Sawyer Moore; sister Dean Brandenburg; and her brother, Bob and wife Linda East. In addition to her parents, Rena was preceded in death by her son, Jeffery William Reynolds. A gathering of family and friends will be 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, at Clark Legacy Center in Brannon Crossing.