Kindness From a Stranger Brings Healing to Local Family

Kindness From a Stranger Brings Healing to Local Family

by Kenyon Kemnitz

When a loved one passes away, there often is a fear that the connection you share with them is fading away and they might be forgotten. The absence of their physical presence can make it difficult to remember their voice or how they looked, and these feelings can intensify over time.

Dennis Dick experienced this firsthand when his wife, Jeannie, died in December 2020 while receiving hospice care from Rainbow, almost a year after being diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer. This loss changed his life forever. Rainbow Community Care’s brick memorial garden was in its initial planning stages around this time. Dennis wanted to do something to honor Jeannie but wasn’t sure what at first. When he heard more about the project, he made a $10,000 donation towards the purchase of a beautiful water feature for the brick garden.

“It’s kind of like a piece of Jeannie will be out there forever,” said Dennis.

When families and friends of patients come to visit and take a stroll outside, they often pass by the water feature, which gives them a sense of solace. It also serves as a beautiful backdrop for them to reflect and connect with their thoughts and memories of lost loved ones.

Now, four years later, Dennis continues to keep Jeannie’s memory alive while also helping others honor their loved ones. For the past three years, he has donated a $1,000 scholarship to Rainbow’s Memorial Garden, allowing others an opportunity to purchase a brick for their loved one. Some of these families may be experiencing financial hardship or simply need a little extra support.

“When I told Laura about it, she was elated, almost ecstatic, and kind of giddy,” Dennis said. “The bricks are wonderful, and if I can help people come to grips with their grief a little bit better, then that’s something I want to do.”

During his time in the Monday Morning Joe grief support group, Rainbow Bereavement Counselor and Chaplain Laura Wessels shared a touching story with Dennis about a woman who was saving all her change every day in a jar, in hopes of one day having enough money to purchase a brick for her loved one.

“Dennis finds meaning and personal healing in helping others,” said Laura. “This woman wept with joy when she found out she would receive the brick scholarship, and it’s been such a gift for continued healing for so many people.”

When Laura told Dennis about the Piper family’s story, he didn’t hesitate to help. He contributed an additional $250 so they could order a larger-sized brick.

“It was really heartwarming, and I think that’s something my parents would have done for someone else if they could have,” said the Piper’s daughter, Sommer Harford.

Shelly Piper was originally admitted to hospice at home in Lake Mills on August 2, 2024, but soon transferred to the Rainbow Hospice Care Inpatient Center (IPC) where she passed away five days later on August 7, 2024, at the age of 68, with her family by her side. Sommer and her family are thankful that Rainbow was able to help alleviate some of the burdens that families often face at the end of life.

“When you’re caring for a dying parent at home, you have to keep track of all the medications, and we were already exhausted,” Harford explained. “When Rainbow admitted my mom, it finally allowed us to stop being her doctors, nurses, and caregivers, and just be her daughters.”

Following Shelly's death, her husband's health began to rapidly decline. Following a hospital stay, Daniel was admitted to the IPC and died less than a day later on February 8, 2025, at the age of 74. Sommer and her sister, Nicole Piper, were unable to get back to town in time to say goodbye to their father.

“There’s still a lot of emotion there. My dad passing away so soon after my mom was extra hard because we weren’t able to spend those final moments with him,” Sommer said. “We were happy Rainbow was able to admit him. I feel like Rainbow always came in at the right time with the right people—from the nurses to the bereavement counselors. There also was this incredible doctor with a beard (Dr. Thom McGorey) who was there during my mom’s stay.”

The Piper family had no doubt that the Rainbow Hospice Care Inpatient Center was the right place for their parents to spend their final days.

“We were just grateful that they had space for both of my parents when it was needed because it was such an urgent situation both times,” Sommer said. “At the end of the day, we knew it all happened in the best way possible because of Rainbow.”

“I will remember Rainbow being a very welcoming place that allowed us to take the time that we needed to be with both our parents,” said another daughter, Taylor Piper.

Shelly had worked next door as a hairdresser at Sunset Ridge Assisted Living in Johnson Creek for about five years and sometimes walked over to the IPC to see if she could volunteer her time to do a patient’s hair.

The Pipers are just one of many local families who’ve had multiple generations served by Rainbow Community Care. Both of the girls’ grandfathers received hospice care services from Rainbow before they passed away.

“My uncle would take my dad’s dad to Rainbow for respite care, and Rainbow also provided his end-of-life services when he passed away at a Jefferson nursing home,” Sommer said. “My mom’s dad passed away at home, but we had Rainbow onboard then as well.”

It was a heartbreaking time for Sommer, Nicole, and Taylor. They lost both their parents within a year, and even though life continues to move along, it hasn’t been easy. Sommer lives with her family in Virginia, Nicole is in California, and Taylor resides in Fond du Lac. They are very close and talk on the phone frequently, but it’s been difficult living without their parents, especially for Taylor, who is the youngest. She didn’t get to experience a lot of her adulthood with parents like her older sisters did.

“It’s definitely hard because when something good happens, I want to call and tell them,” Taylor said. “If I’m trying to think of somebody’s name, I want to call and see if they remember. I recently got a new apartment, and I wish I could show them.”

“This past year has been a whirlwind,” Sommer said. “We miss being able to call them whenever we want. My mom would sit on FaceTime and talk to her grandkids for hours if she could.”

The kindness Dennis Dick showed to two strangers he had never met was overwhelming for Sommer. After hearing about his selfless act, she knew she needed to send him a thank-you note. That moment was just as touching for Dennis.

“Sommer said, ‘I don’t think you know our parents, but somehow your gesture has been an incredible healing act for us,’ Dennis said. “That’s why I do it. I don’t do it for any type of recognition.”

Taylor attended Rainbow’s brick dedication ceremony on August 21 and was joined by her boyfriend, a few relatives, and even some of her mom’s and dad’s friends. She was able to see her parents’ brick and place a rose on it to honor their memory. She communicated with Sommer through FaceTime during the dedication and recorded the ceremony for Nicole.

“They never wanted to be buried somewhere, so they were cremated, and we haven’t had the chance to spread their ashes yet,” Taylor said. “I’m really happy they get to be together somewhere in remembrance.”

Taylor also got the chance to meet Dennis in person and thank him for his generosity. Sommer met Dennis virtually and hopes to stop by the brick garden when she returns home to Wisconsin for a wedding in September.

Dennis’s thoughtfulness showed the Piper family they are not alone, and others care deeply about their continued healing and grieving for their parents.

“I never say you get over losing someone because you can’t,” Dennis said. “Jeannie and I were together 35 years. You’re adjusting to a new lifestyle without that person. With Sommer and her sisters, their memories are still there, but there’s no way of making new ones. Their life was turned upside down, and they’re still adjusting. I just want to help where I can.”

The brick scholarship from Dennis has contributed to the installation of an additional 12 bricks in Rainbow’s memorial garden. He has attended all four of Rainbow’s brick dedication ceremonies, including the first one in 2022, and enjoys meeting some of the families who received the bricks he purchased.

“That’s so amazing for someone to do that and recognize our parents without even meeting them,” Taylor said. “Mom was always so kind to anybody she would meet on the street, and my dad was a funny guy and very easy to talk to, especially if I got into trouble or needed anything.”

Rainbow’s memorial garden continues to grow each year. Over 250 bricks have been installed since it opened to the public in 2022. Families have donated more benches and garden features to keep the space looking beautiful and welcoming. A wind phone was recently installed in July.

Dennis believes in signs and knows Jeannie is walking alongside him each day. When butterflies or dragonflies appear or the sky sparkles at night, he feels she is smiling down on him. He talks to her about two to three times a week, especially late at night if he can’t sleep. When Dennis visits the Rainbow Memorial Garden, he talks to her and says a prayer at her fountain.

“The second dedication, a woman was standing by it and said, ‘This fountain’s amazing, isn’t it?’ I replied, ‘Yeah, it’s dedicated to my wife.” She then said, ‘Oh, you’re the one who did that! We wanted to put a bench next to it but wanted to make sure it was okay.’ I responded, ‘Yes, that would give me a nice place to sit down.’ Dennis said, smiling.