VOLUNTEERS Make a Difference
Masonic Village Hospice is designed to give comforting care to individuals in the final phase of a terminal illness. A wonderful team of dedicated volunteers is available to provide support and caregiver respite. They assist patients and their families by offering friendly visits and companionship and by completing special tasks through the direction of the volunteer coordinator. Volunteers share their musical talents, bring pets for therapy, take patients outside for some fresh air, read to patients, run errands and other efforts.
Masonic Village Hospice currently utilizes 111 volunteers, ranging in age from college students to a 96-year-old gentleman. A volunteer orientation is held three times a year, where potential volunteers can learn more about hospice and the services they would provide.
“A lot of the volunteering is based on the patient,” said Angela B. Ortiz, hospice volunteer coordinator. “If a family member is a caregiver and needs two hours to run errands, the volunteer will sit with the patient. Or, they’ll sit with the patient if they have no family present, so they are not alone. We have some volunteers trained in Healing Touch™, an energy-based treatment. We also have volunteers who visit with their pets and veteran volunteers paired with patients who are veterans.”
The volunteer may perform a special ceremony for veterans, including a reading, a pinning and
a presentation of a certificate and a handmade fleece blanket.
Once volunteers are trained, they are paired with a staff member or a fellow volunteer for their first visit. After that, the schedule is flexible
between the volunteer and patient, in terms of how often they want to visit, where, when and for how long.
The experience has a profound impact on the volunteers’ lives, as well as the patients.
Joe Kranyak
“God has been more than good to me during my life, and after having experienced what hospice care did for a close friend of mine and her own family, I felt it was time to volunteer,” said volunteer Joe Kranyak. “I wanted to give back, to make a difference, no matter how small. Since I have been associated with the Veterans Pinning Ceremonies, it has been very rewarding for me to see the joy and happiness that a small ceremony has brought the families of veterans.”
“Hospice staff made such a difference in my life and in the lives of my parents as they were in hospice care,” said Sara Petrosky, a volunteer who visits patients with her dog. “Volunteering here is the best way I can make a similar difference. When I learned I could bring my dog to hospice patients, I realized this ‘job’ would benefit the patient, my dog and me. What a win for all of us!”
“I enjoy being part of a team that provides peace, companionship and comfort to individuals and their families at the end of their lives,” volunteer Christine Roberts said. “It creates a feeling of purpose and fulfillment for me. I have had so many rewarding and meaningful experiences during my first year of volunteering and look forward to many more.”
Clinton Spiegel, a Masonic Village resident and volunteer, said, “I feel that I am making a difference, small as it may be, in the life of another.”
Volunteer Orientation Sessions
June 5, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Manheim Township Public Library 595 Granite Run Drive Lancaster, PA 17601
Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Oct. 8 & 10, 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Masonic Village Campus
600 Freemason Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022
You must attend both days.
If you are interested in volunteering and have any questions, please contact Angela Ortiz at 717-367-1121, ext. 33024, at abortiz@masonicvillages.org or visit masonicvillagehospice.org/volunteer.
Angela Fittery
Christine Roberts
Marnie Becker
Providing Comfort and Care
It’s difficult enough to have one parent transition to hospice care, let alone two. But for Warren Lewis Jr. and his wife, Terry, Masonic Village Hospice was truly a gift. Hospice staff brought normalcy to a challenging and sometimes scary experience, while supporting their family every step of the way.
“I don’t know how we would have gotten through this process without hospice,” Warren said. “For the patient, as well as the family, death is humanized. They give families sanity during a time where they can’t even see straight. It’s a wonderful way to leave this world with their [hospice’s] hand in the pot.”
The oldest of three sons, Warren Jr. lost his parents, Warren Sr. and Penny, in 2021 and 2023, respectively, to lung cancer and dementia. Warren and Terry,
along with middle son Gregory, and wife, Theresa, and youngest son, Doug, and wife, Tina, were a close family, deeply involved and a great support
to one another as everyone attempted to adjust to the journey ahead.
“It was the first time going through a situation like this for my brothers and I” Warren said. “My parents were in their early 80s and generally in good health until they both got sick. We needed hospice. We didn’t know what to do.”
Penny was diagnosed with dementia in her early 70s, and Warren Sr. spent five years taking care of her while they lived in a cottage at Masonic Village at Elizabethtown. Warren was very organized and took comfort in putting arrangements into place when he himself fell ill.
“When we found out my dad had lung cancer, he knew he only had four to six months to live. He rallied
Warren Lewis Sr. and his wife, Penny, with the rest of their family.
Warren Lewis Sr. and Penny in their 30s
the troops, had all of us come up, invited in hospice and that’s where we met Kevin [Jacoby, hospice social worker] and the rest of the hospice staff,” Warren Jr. said.
Warren described Kevin as an “absolute angel” and a consummate professional. “He would stop in all the time to see my parents and coach them,” he said. “My parents were both Christians, as was Kevin, which was important to us. He’d talk about Jesus with my dad. He would tell my dad how they would take care of my mom after he passed. He was truly wonderful.”
Warren Sr. and Penny lived in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and originally met because their parents were friends. At one point, Warren had arranged a date for Penny with one of his friends, but then became smitten with her himself, and their relationship blossomed. They were married for 60 years. In addition to their sons, they were blessed with six grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren and recently, a third great-grandchild.
Warren Sr. and Penny lived lives full of joy and surrounded by family. Warren Sr. was an accomplished businessman, working in the auto industry and running his own finance business. He continued working up until two or three years before his death because he “loved to work,” Warren Jr. said. He enjoyed playing golf, a pastime shared with Penny, as well as his three sons. The couple also loved to travel and had a boat on the Chesapeake Bay for many years.
Penny did not work outside of the home, instead focusing her efforts on raising her three boys and supporting Warren’s involvement in his business endeavors. She was very active athletically and socially, and had a particular affinity for tennis, aerobics and golfing.
Warren Jr. said he was most impressed by how his parents always prioritized each other and put their marriage first. “They were great role models,” he said. “They said their relationship had to come first so they could take care of us properly. They were wonderful as a loving couple, which then translated into being loving parents.”
Warren Jr. and Terry currently live in Savannah, Georgia, but the other siblings still reside in the Lebanon area.
Theresa said her in-laws never treated her like a “daughterin-law,” but as their own daughter. She recalls fun family trips to Cape Cod, the Poconos and, of course, the
Jersey shore. Warren Sr. and Penny were very good about supporting all the grandchildren, never missing a school musical or a hockey game, she said.
Hospice staff, especially social workers Kevin Jacoby and Brooke Rambert and Hospice RN Case Manager Christine Eisenhart, went above and beyond to make Warren Sr. and Penny feel better, she said, including taking them out for a golf cart ride and ice cream, bringing them flowers or just stopping by to say ‘hello.’
“They just really made our parents feel comfortable, and us as well,” Theresa said. “There were a lot of things we didn’t understand, and they explained everything to us and what to expect. Chris was wonderful about calling me with updates every time she visited them. I have nothing but adoration for the hospice team.”
She praised Masonic Village as a “top-notch” facility because of the continuation of care it provides families. “We are so thankful this was the facility that our parents chose,” she said.
When Warren Sr. needed additional care as his cancer progressed, hospice staff moved the couple out of their cottage and into personal care. After Warren Sr. passed, they moved Penny into the memory support area.
“Hospice staff really helped manage her process to put it at the proper speed. Up to the moment of her death, they were involved. I think Kevin was there for the last hour of mom’s life.”
Warren and Penny enjoying cocktails in their sunroom at Masonic Village.
Embracing His Calling Through a New Role
Masonic Village Hospice Chaplain
Tyler Brown felt the calling to do seminary work after spending several years as a U.S. Army medic stationed in South Korea and Tennessee.
“When I got out of the Army, I wasn’t sure what to do with the rest of my life,” he said. “I wound up taking a gap year before heading to Central America for six months as part of a mission team. We were embedded with local families and the pastor of a local church and worked on projects in the community. The more I was down there, the more I fell in love with mission work and felt the calling to go to seminary.”
Tyler received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Liberty Theological Seminary, and while there, spent two years working at the local church where he grew up in Landisville, Pennsylvania. After that experience, he decided he wanted to devote himself fully to chaplain work.
After graduation, Tyler began looking for ministry jobs that utilized his background in health care. He started at Masonic Village in September 2024, working with two other chaplains, Nick Keeney and Emily Harr, to provide spiritual care for patients.
“Emily and I see patients on campus and Nick mostly sees the patients off campus,” Tyler said. “We have a great spiritual care team. Everyone does a wonderful job working together and taking care of patients.”
Tyler Brown
Tyler plans to get his clinical pastoral education certification this fall to further develop his clinical skills.
As part of his chaplain role, Tyler visits his patients assigned to him at least once a month or more often if needed.
“We meet with them and discuss whatever they want,” he said. “Some want to talk about God and death/ dying. Some just want to talk about whatever’s on their mind. Some patients are very religious and want us to pray with them or read scripture. We also provide counseling to patients and their families. They go through a lot emotionally and spiritually, so we try to be there to care for them.”
Being here has changed Tyler’s mindset about what hospice is and what it does for a person.
“People tend to think that hospice is really depressing, but so far, that’s not what I’ve found,” he said. “Most of our patients are very at peace with who and where they are. They’ve lived long lives filled with love and support from family.
It’s nice to be beside them when they experience real joy, and also, hopefully provide them care and comfort when they’re struggling. It’s an honor to be invited into that stage of someone’s life.”
Supporting Our Patients & Hope for a Cure
Over the past 10 years, Masonic Village Hospice has participated in the Relay For Life to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Since approximately 20% of our patients battle this devastating disease, we see first-hand how it affects our patients and their loved ones: physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially.
Our team is dedicated to walking alongside them in their journey, remembering those we’ve cared for and lost and bolstering hope for a cure. We look forward to this year’s event on June 13 at Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster.
As of early May, our team had already raised over $5,000. If you attend, please stop by our tent and say “Hello!”
By joining the Cornerstone Circle program, you are supporting Masonic Village Hospice with a monthly (recurring) gift. It is automatic, just like paying your monthly electric bill, internet, phone and many other monthly recurring bills. It is simple and convenient for you. You will receive several benefits:
• Simple one-time set-up
• No cost to you
• No longer receive annual solicitations in the mail
• Receive a year-end statement for ease of tax preparation
• Cancel anytime by notifying the Office of Mission Advancement and Development
Conveniently meet your charitable goals today! Call 1-800-599-6454, email Giving@MasonicCharitiesPa.org or visit MasonicVillageHospice.org/donate to join our Cornerstone Circle Program.
Drive, Suite
Who We Are
Since 2009, Masonic Village’s trained, compassionate hospice staff have cared for thousands of patients and their families, focusing on the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of patients so they may complete their lives joyfully. Our hospice staff promote comfort and self-determination, enabling patients to participate in making decisions about their care.
Based in Elizabethtown, Masonic Village Hospice is pleased to offer services to patients in the comfort of their homes throughout Lancaster, Dauphin, Lebanon and Eastern York counties.
