Pam MacPherson fell in love with hospice the way so many do — with a deeply personal experience.

In the early 1980s, Pam’s beloved aunt died young of cancer at a time when hospice care was very new in the United States. In her aunt’s final months, Pam saw firsthand the profound difference compassionate end-of-life care could make — not just for the person dying, but for the entire family. That experience sparked a lifelong passion.

For more than 40 years, Pam has served as an advocate, educator, connector and volunteer — tirelessly working to ensure that people facing the end of life receive care filled with dignity and compassion.

Now, Pam’s commitment to these values has inspired her and her husband, Bruce, to establish the MacPherson Family Fund, an endowed fund that will support our hospice program for generations to come.

“Pam was so enthusiastic and so ardent in her work in hospice that I felt, and our kids felt, that it needed more of a legacy, something that would live on beyond us,” says Bruce.

The MacPherson Family Fund will exist as part of the Home Health & Hospice endowment, which includes more than 20 named funds established by members of our community. These carefully invested resources provide annual support in perpetuity, ensuring home health and hospice care in our region remains strong for years to come.

Establishing a way to continue supporting hospice long after their lifetimes was deeply meaningful to both Pam and Bruce. For both, giving back in this way is more than philanthropy — it’s an extension of their lives and values. “It’s coming from what is meaningful to us and what we’ve committed our hearts to,” Pam reflects.

Pam’s commitment to hospice has changed their lives in ways they never could have imagined. And while the MacPherson Family Fund ensures that her legacy will continue for generations, it’s the intimate, human moments that have shaped her journey most profoundly. “It’s just so powerful to bear witness and to be given that privilege,” says Pam about sitting vigil with a dying person.

“There isn’t anything else in my life that’s quite like that for impact. I’m just so grateful. I feel like for years, I have learned about living from people who are dying.”

To learn more about supporting our work or establishing a fund within the Home Health & Hospice endowment, please contact Maya Fehrs, director of development, at 802-860-4475.