The newest name on Samaritan’s Wall of Remembrance leaves a legacy of caring
Some couples meet in a pub; others through an online dating service. Brenda and Scott Wright’s unlikely meeting place was a Lenape Regional school bus! Brenda was a bus driver for 22 years. “Call it fate, but I was assigned to her bus as an aide for a student with special needs,” said Scott.
Brenda’s husband Scott Wright, daughter Tiffini Wright Patterson, daughter-in-law Lori Patterson and brother Brett Norcross at the unveiling of Brenda’s name on the newest section of the Samaritan Wall of Remembrance located within The Samaritan Inpatient Hospice Center, Mt. Holly
The couple enjoyed 14 years of “best-friend marriage” before Brenda succumbed to breast cancer in August 2011 at the age of 52. “She had a smile that would light up any space she was in,” said Scott. “We did everything together. I lost my world.”
Scott had hoped to care for Brenda at home, but was grateful for round-the-clock comfort care that The Samaritan Inpatient Hospice Center in Mt. Holly provided when her condition worsened.
“The first time I walked in, I was expecting a cold hospital room. Instead, I got the feeling of home. The staff greeted us with a smile and we didn’t want for anything. It was always, ‘What do you need? We’re here to help you through this tough time.’ They made all of us – me, Brenda’s daughters Tiffini and Crystal and the 30 family, friends and co-workers who visited that last weekend – all feel comforted.”
Tiffini agreed. “The staff treated my mom as if they had known her before. I’m just amazed that they find the strength to treat strangers like family day after day.”
Karen Larrimore, Brenda’s beloved friend of 30+ years, suggested that they all find a way to give back to Samaritan while honoring the inspirational wife, mother, sister and friend who had graced their lives. Through their gift, Brenda’s name became the first on the newest section of Samaritan’s Wall of Remembrance within the Inpatient Hospice Center.
At a recent ceremony to unveil Brenda’s name plaque, Tiffini requested that Maya Angelou’s poem, Phenomenal Woman, be read aloud. “It was an empowering poem that my Alpha Sigma Tau sorority sisters used to read to each other. I felt it captured my mom’s spirit,” she said.
“Even during her illness, my mom quietly took care of everyone,” she said. “My friends would come to her for advice and when I’d visit from Vermont, she still found time to cook my favorite meal.” One of Tiffini’s most cherished keepsakes is the cookbook she asked her mom to compile of her 25 best recipes including that favorite meal – pasta with shrimp, broccoli and cheese. (recipe below)
At the unveiling, Tiffini said tearfully, “Every name that goes on this wall has a story. It is beautiful to see my mom’s name and to touch it. I hope that others will wonder about her story and know that she has a family who wanted her impact to live on.”
Brenda’s family and Karen asked that their donation help fund the next inpatient bed that needs to be replaced. Scott said, “Brenda’s name on the wall means that other patients and families can continue to receive the same kind of comfort we did.”
For more information on adding a loved one’s name to the Wall of Remembrance or other naming opportunities, please
call Director of Development Robin Todd at (856) 552-3287.
Brenda’s Pasta with Shrimp Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs shrimp-peeled
1 box pasta “A Fun Kind!”
8-10 oz. mushrooms sliced
3-4 broccoli crowns-cut up
3-4 cloves of galic- minced
Locatelli cheese- finely grated
1 stick of butter
1 cup olive oil with crushed hot pepper flakes; to taste-mixed together
Cayanne pepper
salt and pepper
White Merlot – if you like wine, leave it out if not
INSTRUCTIONS:
Start water for pasta so pasta is done at the same time shrimp mixture is
In a large pot or pan, melt butter add garlic and saute
Add sliced mushrooms and cayenne pepper til “reddish” in color
Saute mushrooms until darkened
Add oil and crushed pepper flakes
Microwave broccoli for about 5 minutes “al dente”
Add shrimp to mushrooms
Cook shrimp until pink- salt and pepper
Add Broccoli
Stir together
Add about 1 cup Locatelli cheese; Mix
Add 2-3 “splashes” of white merlot; Stir
Add cooked pasta
Mix well
Add more cheese on top of each serving and drink the rest of the wine.!
Enjoy!
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