11/04/2025
The Nurse Honor Guard of West Alabama is a volunteer organization established in May 2024 at DCH Health System in Tuscaloosa is dedicated to honoring nurses who have passed away.
We perform “Nightingale Tributes” (named for Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing) at funerals or memorial services of nurses in their service area (six counties in West Alabama).
The tribute typically includes:
• Volunteer nurses dressed in traditional white nursing uniforms (cap, cape, white shoes) paying respect.
• A symbolic “last call” or “release from duty” ceremony where the nurse’s name is called and they’re formally relieved of their nursing duties.
• Presentation of a lamp (a Nightingale lamp) and a white rose as symbols of dedication, service and remembrance.
• The service is free of charge to the family requesting the tribute.
Who qualifies / service area
• The service is designed for nurses (active or retired) who have served in the profession and whose family/funeral home requests a tribute. The Nurse Honor Guard of West Alabama honors the lives and legacies of nurses through heartfelt tributes during funeral services. This free service is available throughout Tuscaloosa, Greene, Hale, Sumter, Perry, and Bibb counties.
• The guard is made up of volunteer nurses (RNs, LPNs, and Advanced Practice Nurses) who are licensed and in good standing (active or retired) and who choose to serve.
Membership Criteria
Membership is open to licensed nurses (RN, LPN, possibly nurse practitioners) who are either active or retired, in good standing with their licensing board.
• Members purchase or provide their uniform items (white uniform, cap, cape, white shoes) as part of participation.
• Members volunteer their time, and may be required to participate in at least one tribute annually (or perform other volunteer duties) to remain active.
• If interested in membership in the Honor Guard of West Alabama, fill out a form from our form links under the Featured heading on our page
Why the Nurse Honor Guard matters?
• Nursing is often an unsung profession—nurses give long hours, often under stress, and their service can go unnoticed. The Honor Guard gives the final recognition and dignity for a nurse’s lifetime of service.
• The Nurse Honor Guard offers comfort to the family of the deceased nurse by acknowledging their loved one’s professional impact and contributions.
• It helps to foster professional pride among nurses and the community by highlighting that the nursing profession matters, and we honor those who dedicated themselves to it.
⸻
How to contact / request a tribute
• If a nurse’s family or funeral home wants to request a tribute from the Honor Guard of West Alabama, they fill out a form from our form links under the Featured heading on our page specifying: the deceased’s name, license type, funeral home, date/time, etc.
• The volunteer guard will collaborate with funeral home / family to arrange the ceremony details.
