We never get over grief, but we learn how to make room for it in our lives. 

Those were words Chaplain Nancy Anderson shared during a memorial service to honor and remember the associates, board members, physicians and volunteers at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System who died this year. 

Twenty-nine names were read during a ceremony inside the Spartanburg Medical Center chapel as chaplains handed flowers to attendees who were there to represent their loved ones. 

“May we remember all the ways we were impacted by their faithful and dedicated service,” said Anderson, the system’s director of spiritual care and pastoral education. 

Following the service, attendees found gold engraved leaves with their loved ones’ names on them adorning the “memorial tree” in the hospital lobby. 

“The word celebrate is what we want to highlight today,” said Spartanburg Medical Center President Phil Feisal. 

Each year, memorial services are held to honor past employees during Healthcare Appreciation Week. Cherokee Medical Center also held its first memorial service and unveiled its new memorial tree. 

“Today, we are here to celebrate and honor our colleagues who have gone before us for their contributions to the care of the patients and families in our community. They may be gone, but they are not forgotten,” said Cherokee Medical Center President Cody Butts. 

Among the attendees at Cherokee Medical Center were the family members of Dana Mullinax and Daniel Vassey, an engaged couple who both worked as nurses for the hospital but died in a car crash together in 2007. 

“Her whole life, she and Daniel were dedicated to this hospital, so this [memorial service] means a lot for us,” said Brook Blackwell, Dana Mullinax’s niece. 

At Spartanburg Medical Center, Sonia Burgess shared memories of her daughter, Zhyon Burgess, 24, who died in a vehicle crash in April 2024. She had completed her training with nursing education to become a full-time CNA and was scheduled for her first day on a Monday but died the prior weekend. 

“She really wanted to be a CNA. This is really something she wanted to do,” Sonia Burgess said. “I just appreciate all of this to recognize her even though her time here was so short. God had other plans, that’s how I have to look at it.” 

The names of those added to Spartanburg Medical Center’s memorial tree were:  

• John Earl Bragg Sr. 
• Dr. Lucien Brailsford 
• Zhyon Burgess 
• Margaret Thrift Burnett 
• Pamela Copeland 
• Tonia W. Ebert 
• Richard Finnell 
• Glennwood Fowler 
• Jason Greiner 
• Julie Hall 
• Brandy Mayfield-Hicks 
• Linda Hellebrand 
• Rhonda Ingle 
• Emily Bishop Lawter 
• Doris Thelma Lawter 
• Dr. Ronald Littlefield Sr. 
• Joyce Higdon Littlefield 
• Sarah Louise Miller 
• Rickie “Rick” Miller 
• Hiley Gene Mahaffey 
• Glenda Faye Parris 
• George Paul Reid III 
• Luanne Burgess Schneider 
• Evelyn C. Shelnut 
• Susan Ann Smith 
• Tess Elaine Tintle 
• Cheryl Lindsey Truax 
• Charles David Wilson Sr. 
• Dwayne Anthony Worthy 

The names of those added to Cherokee Medical Center’s memorial tree were: 

• Joey Allen 
• Melody “Mel” Chase 
• Bessie “Lib” Corry 
• Mildred McCluney Davis 
• Mary Violet Dawkins 
• Carol Holcombe 
• Jenny Jolley 
• Dr. Paul Dan Karns 
• Dr. Shahina Khan 
• Dr. Andras Koser 
• Roger Lee Millen 
• Dana Mullinax 
• Everett “Junior” Mullinax 
• Marie Patterson 
• Shirley Thompson 
• Terri York 
• Karen Good 
• Daniel Vassey 
• Dr. Kenneth Seymour 
• Dr. Donald McIntosh 
• Dr. Johnny Neighbors 
• Lynn Smith 
• Susan Walls 
• Christine Poplawski 
• Charles “Butch” Rolen 

Names are added annually to each memorial tree during Healthcare Appreciation Week.