Janie DeHart and Carole VanGosen

Our sister Sally—just saying her name brings a smile to our faces. As the middle child, she was always at the heart of every fun moment. After high school, Sally followed her older sister to Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, proudly completing the three-year program. Our parents took great pride in their three daughters, all of whom became nurses.

Sally married her high school sweetheart, Jim Deremer and together, they raised three children, all of whom earned degrees from Frostburg State University. Sally put her nursing career on hold while she dedicated herself to her family, but when her children headed off to college, she returned to her calling with passion and dedication.

In the late 1970s, when hospice care was still a relatively new concept in hospitals, Sally played a vital role in establishing the hospice at Sacred Heart Hospital. Her compassionate spirit and empathy brought comfort and support to countless families during life’s most challenging moments.
Tragically, Sally’s personal experience with hospice care came too soon. After being diagnosed with lymphoma, she spent her final days in the same hospice she had helped create. She passed away in 1985 at the age of 47, yet her memory lives on in the hearts of her family, friends, and all those she touched.

It is our heartfelt wish that the recipient of this scholarship will carry forward Sally’s legacy of love, empathy, and skill. May they serve their patients with the same dedication and compassion that Sally exemplified throughout her life.