Muskegon Will Host Michigan Nurses Honor Guard Conference

Muskegon will host the inaugural Michigan Nurses Honor Guard Coalition Conference on May 16-17, 2025. More than 150 nurses from Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula, are expected to meet for two days to share information and inspiration, network and have fun.

The conference is made possible through generous support from Trinity Health Muskegon. This event is open to members of the Michigan Nurses Honor Guard Coalition and local chapters. (Registration and additional information will be available closer to the date of the conference. )

The Michigan Nurse Honor Guard Coalition has 16 chapters that serve 57 of the 83 counties in Michigan. There are approximately 400 guard volunteers across the state. Groups honor fallen nurses with memorial tributes, and many also honor nurses at the end of life with living tributes.

Chapters have been involved in local parades, veteran's events, Nurses Day events, and other community activities. The Michigan Coalition functions within the National Nurses Honor Guard Coalition, which has about 450 chapters across the nation.

The Muskegon Area Nurse Honor Guard was formed in May 2021. These volunteer nurses have participated in more than 80 tributes. Volunteers are active nurses or retired from varied health care settings: hospitals, offices, home care, hospice, schools and jails. More than 60 nurse volunteers serve the lakeshore from Grand Haven to Ludington. They average about two or three tributes each month.

Dressed in traditional white uniforms with capes and caps, honor guard members attend the funerals or memorial services of deceased nurses, carrying a lit Nightingale lamp. They conduct a brief ceremony akin to those performed by the military, police and fire departments, honoring the nurse's life and service. The ceremony concludes with a solemn "call to duty," providing closure for the family and paying homage to the nurse's dedication and sacrifice.

Living tributes are sometimes requested through hospice caregivers for nurses at the end of life. The nurse honor guard visits the nurse to offer a tribute with a white rose and blanket. This tribute is a special time to reminisce about their nursing school journey and career. The participating nurses enjoy hearing about the changes they have seen through the decades and generations.

For more information about the Muskegon Area Nurse Honor Guard chapter or the Michigan Nurses Honor Guard Coalition, contact Kimberlee Mason at 231-672-3778 or email masonki@trinity-health.org. Follow the Muskegon Nurse Honor Guard on Facebook.

For more information about the National Nurses Honor Guard or to donate, contact Julia Godby Murray at jmury581@gmail.com.