08/27/2026
🩺 HONORING A LIFETIME OF CARING | CONGRATULATIONS, CHRIS!
If you had told Chris years ago that she would someday become a nurse — and eventually join the Nursing Honor Guard — she probably wouldn’t have believed you.
In fact, when her first husband once suggested nursing, Chris remembers responding:
“Oh heck no! There is no way I could do that.”
Life had other plans. ❤️
After moving back to Nebraska, Chris began working with OHD and discovered just how rewarding it was to care for others. She became a CNA and first attempted nursing school in 2006. As a single mom balancing work, school and motherhood, the timing simply wasn’t right.
But she never stopped caring for people.
Eventually, Chris found her way to Home Health and Hospice — a job she describes as one of the most rewarding she has ever had. She spent years serving patients and families there before one simple question changed the direction of her career.
Her director, Diana, asked:
“Hey, do you want to go back to school?”
That was all Chris needed to hear.
She enrolled that fall and proudly became an LPN in May 2023.
Today, Chris has been part of our organization for more than 10 years, including nine years with Home Health and Hospice. For the past year and seven months, she has served at Legend Buttes Health Services, where she is now Lead Nurse, LPN.
It’s a role that allows Chris to do what she loves most: help wherever she is needed.
“I honestly love it here. No two days are the same, and I get to wear many different hats. I really enjoy being able to help wherever I’m needed.”
Now, Chris is extending that spirit of service in another incredibly meaningful way as a member of the Nursing Honor Guard.
The Nursing Honor Guard pays tribute to nurses who dedicated their lives to caring for others. Upon request, members provide a special tribute at funeral or memorial services for deceased active or retired nursing professionals. Living tributes and Hero Walks are also offered.
For Chris, joining the Honor Guard is deeply personal.
“Being able to stand beside a fellow nurse at the end of their life and recognize the work they dedicated themselves to is incredibly meaningful.”
She hopes to bring compassion, respect and sincerity to every tribute — and to make sure families know that their loved one’s work mattered.
“I want the families and loved ones of the nurses we honor to know that their loved one’s work mattered and that they made a difference.”
Perhaps the most beautiful part of Chris’ story is just how unexpected this journey once seemed.
The woman who once said, “There is no way I could do that,” became a CNA, found her calling caring for patients and families, returned to school, became an LPN, now serves as Lead Nurse at Legend Buttes Health Services, and is helping honor the nurses who came before her.
Please join us in congratulating Chris, Lead Nurse, LPN at Legend Buttes Health Services, on becoming a member of the Nursing Honor Guard! ❤️
Learn more about our services at www.chadronhospital.com
