Glenn Weyand
Tara Carter’s bond with her grandfather, Glenn [Walter] Weyand, began when she was young. While her parents worked, Glenn and her grandmother, Annabel, cared for her, creating a close relationship that lasted a lifetime. Decades later, Tara had the opportunity to reciprocate that care after her grandmother passed away, and she became responsible for helping Glenn through his final years, including his time with Masonic Village Hospice.
Her experience with Masonic Village Hospice eventually led Tara to a full-circle moment: joining the Masonic Village team as a nursing assistant.
After the deaths of her grandmother in 2013 and her father in 2022, [her mother is still living] Tara took on an even greater role in Glenn’s life. As his financial power of attorney, she visited him frequently alongside his daughter, Corinne Bulley, and became closely involved in his care and decision-making.
Tara, 54, played a key role in Glenn’s move to Masonic Village at Elizabethtown in 2017. He was initially placed in retirement living but after developing health challenges, including congestive heart failure and dementia, he transitioned to personal care two years later. On Oct. 4, 2024, Glenn was found unresponsive in his room, but still breathing, and was transferred to Evergreen, the end-of-life care area in the Masonic Health Care Center, and began receiving care through Masonic Village Hospice.
“We had said our goodbyes, and the next morning, we were surprised that he was still with us,” Tara said. “I opened the shades of his window to the most beautiful sunrise over the valley. Grandpa could see it from his bed. I think it breathed new life into him. He said, ‘If this is what heaven looks like, then it will be amazing.’ Then, he sat up in bed and ate his breakfast while staring out at the view.”
During the weeks that followed, Tara spent countless hours on Evergreen, helping feed Glenn and serving as an extra set of eyes for the care team.
In the process, she became familiar with the unit, its staff and residents, finding comfort in the environment even as she prepared to say goodbye to her grandfather.
Tara remembers how confident she felt as a family member that the staff would provide love and support when she couldn’t be there. Glenn loved birds, and the staff would bring out a bird named Mason for him to spend time with. He would color in a book while interacting with Mason and that kept him entertained and prevented him from becoming too restless.
“He made so many relationships, from nurses to dining services staff to volunteers,” Tara said. “Everyone kept finding ways to connect with him that warmed my heart.”
Corinne said she was grateful to have Tara by her side during her father’s health journey. At times, her patience would wear thin and her acceptance of his struggle was too much to bear.
“From the moment we were hooked up with Hospice, we knew we would have amazing support and care,” Corinne said. “I could also see that Tara would be there for all of us. As I watched her, I saw that she had a depth of compassion that was beyond my ability and I realized she had a calling.”
Glenn passed away on Nov. 30, 2024. at 98 years of age. Glenn was a member of Mt. Lebanon Masonic Lodge No. 226 and worked as a supervisor for the Lebanon Steel Foundry. He was especially proud of the work he did in support of the space program, Tara said in her eulogy at his funeral on Dec. 7.
“To my knowledge, he never actually landed on the moon, as some of his later stories would suggest,” Tara said. “He was always a dreamer and had a lot of charisma that drew people to him.”
Inspired by the compassionate care Glenn received as a patient on Evergreen, Tara decided to change careers. She applied to the Nursing Assistant Training Program at Masonic Village, hoping to provide the same support and comfort to others that her grandfather had experienced.
Tara had no formal nursing training, despite having helped take care of her father during the later stages of his Parkinson’s disease. However, her mother is a retired registered nurse, and her sister works in a retirement community.
“I was familiar with health care, especially with older adults,” she said. “Being cared for by my grandparents, I was always comfortable in that setting.”
After completing the Nursing Assistant Training Program and her clinical rotation, Tara accepted a full-time position on Evergreen a little more than a year ago — returning to the same unit where she had been at Glenn’s bedside when he passed away.
“It has been a blessing ever since I got here [back on Evergreen],” Tara said. “It’s exactly where I’m supposed to be. I’m glad it took a certain amount of time to get here. Everything was still so fresh and raw for me after grandpa died. I needed time to feel comfortable going into that emotional setting again.”
Tara feels privileged to have been “called” to do end-of-life care and does not regret her decision to pivot professionally. Today, she finds purpose in meaningful work at a place where she can make more of an impact, surrounded by colleagues she is grateful to work with every day.
“Now, I get the opportunity to be the caregiver, so that family members can focus on spending as much quality time as possible with their loved ones,” she said. “It’s truly an honor and a privilege to hold a patient’s hand as they take their last breath. I feel blessed to make a difference in someone’s life.
“You never know where your life is going to take you, and you just need to be open to the possibilities.”
