Angels of Westmoreland Honor Guard

09/01/2026

What They Don’t Teach in Nursing School

They gave us books,
charts,
and skills to memorize.

They taught us how to calculate drips,
read vitals,
and pass exams.

But they never taught us
how to hold a hand that was warm one moment
and gone the next.

They never taught us
how to tell a family, “I’m sorry,”
while trying to keep our own voice from shaking.

They never taught us
how to cry in a bathroom,
wipe our face,
and walk back out to care for the next patient.

They taught us procedures.
Our patients taught us humanity.

We learned that not every life can be saved,
but every life can be cared for with dignity.

We learned that resilience isn't having no cracks.
It is showing up again
with a tired heart
and open hands.

Nursing school gave us knowledge.

But the bedside gave us wisdom.

And somewhere between the night shifts,
the heartbreak,
the victories,
and the goodbyes

we became nurses.

08/18/2026

08/18/2026

Bernadette Blatnick started on her path to becoming a nurse as a teenager when she worked as a camp nurse at Camp Redwing Girl Scout Camp. After graduating from high school, she decided, with the encouragement of her father, to pursue a career in nursing by attending and graduating from the West Penn School of Nursing. After graduating, she worked at West Penn hospital in the ICU and Stepdown units. She worked all three shifts, but her favorite was the night shift. That may have been in part because she was dating her future husband, David Blatnick and he also worked the third shift.
Spanning her thirty-nine-year career as a registered nurse, she worked in various careers in addition to the critical care arena. She was an assistant school nurse for the Hempfield Area School District for a time. She also worked for the Sisters of Charity where she was blessed to be able to care for some of her former instructors from nursing school. Lastly, she worked for a time as a visiting nursing for a psychiatric outpatient facility. This was by far, the most challenging of all her career paths. Her husband would say that her most fulfilling assignment would have been in caring for the geriatric population with the Sisters of Charity.
Bernadette, even after retirement, kept her nursing license updated with obtaining her continuing education hours as recent as this April, even after her January diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
David says his wife was always cheerful and pleasant, but maybe not always the “best patient”. He recalls that her caretakers loved her as their patient, even if she didn’t always listen.
Bernadette was meant to be a nurse from a very young age and remained so until her passing. She embraced many career paths in the nursing field and it is an honor to remember her today.

08/14/2026

Once, the Nurse’s Cap Was a Crown

Once, the nurse’s cap was more than cloth.
It was a crown worn quietly
a symbol of courage, compassion, and resolve.

Each fold carried a promise:
hands that steadied trembling hearts,
eyes that faced suffering without flinching,
and souls that stayed when hope grew fragile.

Within its creases lived stories
mentors guiding uncertain hands,
wisdom passed from one generation to another,
and silent prayers whispered through midnight shifts.

It was humility made visible.
Strength without noise.
A vow sewn into fabric:

“I will stand here.
I will not abandon.
I will care when life begins to waver.”

Today, the cap has faded,
replaced by scrubs, policies, and progress.
But its crown was never truly lost.

It lives in how we lean closer,
listen more carefully,
hold the trembling hand,
and stay when leaving would be easier.

Because nursing was never just about what we wore.

It was—and still is
about the promise we carry.

08/10/2026

Nancy Wallis was raised alongside her two brothers by her mother, who became a widow at a young age. From an early age, Nancy understood that to continue her education beyond high school, she would need to work to help pay for her tuition. She knew she wanted to attend Mercy School of Nursing, and she worked hard to make that dream come true.
Nancy graduated in the early 1960s and shortly thereafter became a Flight Nurse with the 147th Aeromedical Airlift Unit of the Pennsylvania National Guard and the USAF, where she attained the rank of Lieutenant during the Vietnam War. It was during this time that she met her husband, Russell, and they married in 1969.
Nancy and Russell welcomed their daughter, Susan, in 1970, and their son, Darren, in 1972. While her children were young, she worked at Butler Hospital, later at an orthopedic doctor’s office, and she also substituted as a school nurse in the Penn Trafford School District.
If that weren’t enough, Nancy pursued her Bachelor’s in Nursing at California State University, graduating in the late 1970s. She returned to school to meet one of the requirements to become a Certified School Nurse. In 1979, she began working as the Head Nurse for the Penn Trafford School District, and she earned her Master’s Degree from Penn State in 1982. She continued her career until her retirement in 2002, caring for thousands of students over twenty-three years.
Nancy didn’t always take advantage of the “summers off” as a school nurse; she also worked in home health to keep her skills current.
According to her daughter, Susan, Nancy had an impeccable work ethic and a gift for multitasking—evidenced by raising her family, returning to school, and working. She was a true “people person,” and she never told a “short” story. Susan also remembers that, like many children of nurses, she and her brother couldn’t get away with the usual excuses to stay home from school. Their mother knew better.
Nancy touched many lives in the Penn Trafford School District, caring for generations of students. Sometimes a student only needs a bandage, an ice pack, a short rest, or someone kind to talk to. Nancy was there—for students, staff, and anyone who needed her—and they relied on her deeply.

08/08/2026

Anna Taylor began her career as a Licensed Practical Nurse at Monsour Hospital and also worked as a private-duty nurse in private homes. She spent years caring for a family with a young boy who had spina bifida. Anna had a deep passion for helping and caring for others. That passion led her to further her education and pursue a career as a Registered Nurse.

She attended nursing school while raising her daughter, Billie Jo, and her son, Steven, who has since passed away. After graduating, she worked primarily in the Intensive Care Unit at both Monsour and Jeannette Hospital. We are sure she was proud that her daughter also became a nurse, as did her granddaughter, Kelsey.

Anna’s husband, Dennis, remembers her as highly dedicated to the nursing profession. She was the kind of nurse you could count on—willing to work overtime when needed and to swap shifts with nurses when schedules required adjustment. She believed in supporting her peers whenever she could. Anna was committed to her career, and throughout her life she overcame many health challenges until she made the decision to retire.

We honor Anna’s time as a nurse and are grateful for the years she spent caring for those in need.

08/04/2026

Martha B. (Altimus) Reeping, 88, of Latrobe, passed away on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at her home.
Born May 21, 1938, in Robinson, PA, she was the daughter of the late Charles S. Altimus and Anna (Moyer) Freidhoff Altimus.
Martha was a member of St. Vincent Basilica Parish and a former member of Holy Cross Church, Youngwood. Prior to her retirement, she was a registered nurse at Latrobe and Westmoreland Hospitals. She was a member of the 12-Step Christian Recovery Program and Magnificat. Martha loved reading, journaling, and praying.
Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by a son and daughter-in-law, Robert W. Reeping Jr. (Denise); a son-in-law, Paul Williams; three sisters, Patricia Altimus, Pearl Brett, and Florence Knapic; and three brothers, Francis Freidhoff, Perry Altimus, and Joseph Altimus.
Martha is survived by four children, Daniel J. Reeping of Latrobe, Pamela A. Slezak (Joseph) of Latrobe, Theresa J. "Terri" Williams of Lilly, PA, and Linda M. Suchta (Michael), of Cresson, and their father, Robert W. Reeping Sr. (Linda Peterson); one brother, Leo Altimus, of Bolivar; one sister, Mary Anne Dakis, of Ohio; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to Loyalhanna Care Center, Dr. Aldo Prosperi, and Excela Health Homecare and Hospice for their excellent care and compassion.
Family and friends will be received from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, August 2, 2026, and 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday, August 3, 2026, at the Lopatich-Brinker Funeral Home, LLC, 601 Weldon Street, Latrobe. Members of the Angels of Westmoreland Honor Guard will conduct a service at 5 p.m. Sunday in the funeral home. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday at Holy Family Church, Latrobe, with the Rev. E. George Saletrik as celebrant. Interment is private.

08/03/2026

Cheryl Hibbert worked until the age of 72 as a Nurse Practitioner, leaving a profession she loved only because illness prevented her from continuing.

For most of her career, she devoted herself to the care and treatment of postpartum women and the tiny new lives in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She was devoted to helping others and was highly respected among her peers.

Before pursuing a career in nursing, Cheryl worked three jobs as a single mother of four children. One of those jobs was as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home. After her children were grown and largely on their own, she enrolled in nursing school at WCCC in 2001. She was in her late forties, and her daughter, Kelly, was one of her classmates. After receiving their nursing degrees, they went on to California University, where both earned Bachelor of Nursing degrees—graduating side by side. Cheryl then attended WVU to obtain her Nurse Practitioner license.

What a wonderful support system: a mother and daughter meeting the challenges and rigor of nursing school together. It was during her OB rotation that Cheryl fell in love with caring for postpartum mothers.

Cheryl began her career at Magee Hospital in Pittsburgh, caring for postpartum mothers before transitioning into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. During this time, she also helped at Mercy Hospital with preemies whose lives were in crisis while their mothers detoxed.

In 2014, Cheryl moved her career to Jefferson Hospital, where she remained until her retirement in 2025. She was instrumental in the development of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and worked 24-hour shifts caring for critically ill babies in her care. In addition to her demanding role, she was an instructor for the Neonatal Respiratory Program at Jefferson Hospital and was board certified as a Lactation Consultant.

Cheryl’s career was devoted to the care and treatment of the smallest and most vulnerable. She was dedicated, knowledgeable, and loyal to her call to be a nurse.

07/24/2026

Thank you to those who attended the Angels of Westmoreland Honor Guard picnic last evening. Those who couldn't attend we hope to see you next time! Our evening consisted of friendship, laughter, stories, and exceptional food. It was great to see everyone! And a special thank you to Nat, who cooked, and the gentlemen who helped with parking, carrying food, and clean up.

07/16/2026

Patricia Ann Rogers was one of four daughters of Frank and Mary Luciow. She was the sister of Beverly, Mary Jean, and Sharlet; the wife of Jerry; the mother of Scott, Kim, and Shawn; and the grandmother of Sara, Adam, Hailey, Tyler, Madison, and Nadia. She was also a great-grandmother to Phoebe and an aunt to several nieces and nephews.
Throughout her life, Patricia took on many roles—with devotion and care in each one. The role we honor today is her work as a nurse.
Patricia graduated from the Westmoreland Hospital School of Nursing and spent her entire career dedicated to the care and treatment of her patients at Westmoreland Hospital. She worked with compassion on both the Oncology unit and in Behavioral Health.
Her sister Sharlet, who was younger, followed in her footsteps. She shared that, in those days, young women often had only a few career paths to choose from: becoming a housewife, a secretary, a teacher, or—like both Patricia and Sharlet—nursing. Pat chose nursing, and Sharlet did as well.
Both became wives and mothers, and they supported one another whenever they could, including helping with babysitting when schedules allowed. Sharlet also remembers with laughter the time Pat let her borrow her car to return to Seton Hill with a car full of other nursing students from Westmoreland Hospital—only to have them caught by an instructor. Sharlet says she’s not sure whether their “trouble” was because they were meant to walk back to school or simply because so many nursing students were piled into the car!
Patricia often worked the night shift, and her friend and co-worker, Mary McKee, said she was easy to work with and that their friendship grew strong over the years. At one point, a hospital visitor even believed they were sisters because of their close relationship. Pat was kind, soft-spoken, and compassionate—qualities especially important when caring for patients facing cancer diagnoses and those dealing with mental health challenges.
Patricia was an active member of the Westmoreland Area Nursing Association for many years, serving as corresponding secretary for several years. She also proudly joined the Angels of Westmoreland Honor Guard when it began in January 2025. She participated as often as her health allowed, and her memory will be deeply missed. She was the first member of the organization to pass away, and we will remember her for her commitment to the nursing profession and for her support of her colleagues and their families during difficult times.