James Darden was from the generation where you worked hard to care for your family. But chronic illness, beginning with diabetes, led to multiple health issues that finally made the move to palliative care a necessity at the Aultman Women’s Board Compassionate Care Center (CCC).

Many years before, James met his wife, Pam (Peggy), in Orlando, Florida. Hoping for better job opportunities in Ohio after the birth of their first two children, they relocated to the region in 1968.

James was a strong man, and his strength and need to make decisions for himself carried on with his choice to enter hospice and to live his final days at the CCC, his wife shared. It was the warm, calm, subdued environment that created an amazing experience for the entire family. While his death was not the outcome anyone wanted, the outstanding care provided at the CCC helped the entire family through this most difficult time.

James was an avid outdoorsman, and to this day, his family says they see his spirit in nature. A large buck visited the family at the funeral, and a cardinal sat on the back of James’s chair puffing out his chest soon after his celebration of life, as if to say, “I am still here.” The memory of James remains alive for his wife of 59 years, his three children and grandchildren and all his extended family.