Kamloops’ longest serving hospice employee retires after 39 years

KAMLOOPS – A woman who had a vision of better end-of-life care in Kamloops is retiring after 39 years of striving for just that.

Jenny Quince was among the original members of the Kamloops Hospice Association, and Thursday (Oct. 29) was her last day working at the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice Home.

“Very mixed, very mixed feelings,” Quince said. “I know it’s time to retire. I had a lot of plans to do in my retirement.”

In 1981, the Kamloops Hospice Association was formed, with a dream of a free-standing hospice home.

“Together with Marjorie Snowden and another lady, Caroline Mortis, we felt there was a need for end of life care in the community and we were the first patient volunteers trained and we went out in the community and worked with the families in the homes, just like we still do today.”

In 2004, the hospice home officially opened. Snowden had passed away several years earlier, but the home was named in her honour.

Through the years, Quince has served in a number of different roles.

“I was one of the first volunteers trained, then I was the president of the Board of Directors when we were building the place and, in 2004, I joined the clinical staff,” Quince said. “I worked many years as a care aide on the floor.”

About 10 years ago, Quince moved into the role of Operations Manager.

Executive Director of the Kamloops Hospice Association Wendy Marlow says she met Quince when she came on board in 2012.

“When I came I was told we want this to be like a house. It’s not a facility, it’s a home,” Marlow said. “Jenny, with the team, was a huge part of making sure that happened, and it’s my passion to carry that through, as long as I’m here, that this is someone’s home. Jenny’s passionate, she’s practical, and she’s so proud of hospice care in our community.”

As she reflects on the past 39 years, Quince admits there have been some difficult moments, but she has also had many rewarding experiences.

“We’ve done some pretty cool things in the house,” she said. “You know, a patient that wanted to sit in a sports car, or go for a drive, just different experiences we’ve done to make their last days special.”

As she leaves her role with the hospice home, Quince leaves behind a lasting legacy of care and compassion.

“She’s going to leave that sense of hospice with not just the staff, but with the families, with the community,” Marlow said. “You can’t go anywhere with a fundraiser or a dinner with Jenny that she doesn’t know somebody and they know her from hospice.

“That’s an incredible legacy to leave, and we’ll be talking about Jenny for a long time to come.”