My wife, Mary Jean Stovall, was beautiful—both inside and out—and the nicest and sweetest person you would ever want to meet. After meeting while we were in college, we enjoyed nearly 55 incredible years with each other. At the end of Mary Jean’s life, and her journey with cancer, Duke Hospice provided us with love, care, and support that helped our entire family. 

Mary Jean saw the best in everybody. She was an active and involved mother and grandmother to our daughters, Jeannie and Ruth, and our four grandchildren, Nolan, Campbell, Parker and Mason. When Mary Jean met someone, she made them feel as though they were the only person in the room and she really listened to others. 

Many of our daughters’ friends considered Mary Jean to be their second mom. She was the gold standard as far as needlepoint, crocheting, knitting, decorating, and flower ranging. We enjoyed spending time as a family at the beach, where Mary Jean loved to go shelling and take long walks. 

She had a long history with cancer, as she was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 1975 and breast cancer in 2019. Her final bout of cancer, which began in 2021, was with an invasive and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer that was diagnosed after she spent nine days at Duke Hospital. When the doctors there told us that her prognosis was not good, we hoped to get into Duke Hospice’s Hock Family Pavilion because we had long heard that it is such an incredible place. I was concerned that I would not be able to care for her properly at home because she was so sick and couldn’t keep anything down. 

I am incredibly grateful for the care she received at Hock. There was never a request that we had there that they didn't honor. Whenever Mary Jean needed anything, the staff and volunteers accommodated her, always in a loving way. Some of the volunteers stayed after hours to give Mary Jean a shampoo and were just delighted to help in that way. Staff always keep us informed about what was going on. 

I am incredibly grateful for the care she received. There was never a request that we had there that they didn't honor.

Dealing with terminal cancer is a hard situation. But we had the best possible outcome as far as the care and love that she got. Everyone at Hock truly cares about making a difference in people's lives. They are the nicest, most caring, and most professional people. For the 45 days that Mary Jean was at Hock, I stayed every night with her and the staff cared as much for me as they did for her. 

After Mary Jean passed, I continued to benefit from Duke Hospice with their bereavement services. I miss her every minute of every day but Duke Hospice helped me through a lot. They helped me realize that grief and sadness are some of the highest forms of love. 

I invite you to join me today as a financial supporter of Duke HomeCare and Hospice so that other families can benefit from this amazing care and support. Knowing that the incredible staff members at Duke Hospice are caring for their loved one allows family members to reflect on treasured memories and reminisce about our lives together. I am so grateful that during the last days of Mary Jean’s life, I was at her side in Hock Family Pavilion, reminding her how much our family adored her.