For those who understand the bond between humans and animals, it’s no surprise animals need to say goodbye, too. One warm September afternoon, a special horse named Foxy traveled to Raclin House to say goodbye to her favorite human, Roberta. Raclin House has seen its fair share of canine and feline visitors, on that day we were blessed to welcome our first equine visitor. The visit wasn’t without some concern. It’s hard to know how animals will respond in new settings, especially when seeing their favorite people at the end of life. “I was worried we wouldn’t be able to control her,” Jim, Roberta’s husband, shared. “However, she was perfect that day. You couldn’t ask for anything better.” For Center for Hospice Care staff, witnessing Foxy’s visit with Roberta was like watching a therapy horse. She was calm, collected and present. “We went around to the arch at Raclin House, and she just stood there and waited for Roberta to come out. She was just perfectly still,” Jim continued. “She knew she was waiting for Roberta. Call it telepathy, but she knew Roberta was there someplace. She waited for her to come out.”

Roberta’s love of horses started as a child after her family moved from Chicago to Niles, Michigan. From a young age, she had a pony named Peanuts. Behind the family property lay an open area where she and her friend would play and ride their horses. It was full of mud puddles and fun places to invent games. When Jim came into the picture, he saw Roberta’s love of rowdy fun from the beginning. “Mother had her hair in curlers, and she was supposed to go on a date with my father,” their son Jeff shared. “She and her friend were playing tag on their ponies and lost track of time. They were covered in mud, and it got a little out of hand. They looked up, and here came my father with a bunch of flowers and a smile on his face. He wondered where my mother was when he went to the door, and she wasn’t there. He heard the commotion and followed the noise to find them. That was one of my favorite stores from their dating years.”

There was chemistry from the beginning, according to Jim. “There was warmth … there was companionship. We had so much in common,” he continued. “We got married on July 27, 1966.” So began their family. Soon after they welcomed their daughter Amy and then some years later, Jeff was born. In addition to caring for her family, Roberta also cared for animals. “My mother was always out in the barn,” Jeff said. “She had two passions, the horses and the dogs.” This eventually developed into business ventures. Roberta groomed dogs, had a shop with horse products and trained dogs. In 1988, Roberta and Jim entered a joint venture and purchased a campground in Rochester, Indiana. Jim worked in the aerospace industry, which meant many of the campground responsibilities fell to Roberta. She did most of the mowing and managed the thousands of people they met over the years. It was the perfect job for her. “People would come in all grumpy and tired from the week’s work,” Jim recalled. “And after the weekend, they would all stop in and say goodbye to Roberta. Even now, I’ve gotten emails from people saying how much they enjoyed her and wished she was back.”

Roberta stayed busy. She never was one to sit around for too long, even at the end. Just a few weeks before entering hospice care, she put in a fence at their new home. It’s hard to see someone who took care of so many people and was so active in taking care of property, animals and so many things, to become ill and unable to do what they love anymore. “She had a tricky diagnosis, and they were trying to figure out what was wrong with her,” Jeff said. “Being mom, she was a strong woman, but it was tough to watch someone you always thought of as this pillar of strength deteriorate to where we had to make decisions at the end of her life.”

As the medical professionals worked with the family on her care, they realized things may not improve. “Every day when I came in, I knew she was getting farther and farther away,” Jim recalled. “But she was suffering more and more. They were doing everything they could to keep her comfortable. I knew that, but you could tell by her face that she was suffering.” Then, in mid-September, the doctor let the family know they had done everything they could do. The family knew this deep down, but somehow, hearing the news out loud made it sink in. The family didn’t know what the next steps were and how to best care for Roberta. That’s when Center for Hospice Care stepped in, which made all the difference.

“That woman was like an angel from heaven. She was so nice, and it was just a wonderful experience,” Jim said, describing meeting the CHC nurse. She and the family discussed the option of placing Roberta at Raclin House in Mishawaka. The family had been weighing option after option and was at a loss for their next steps. So when this was proposed, they felt a weight had been lifted. “He confessed to me how much relief he felt after speaking with the staff,” Jeff said of his dad. “They put him completely at ease and he could now go home and sleep that night knowing mom would be in a better place.” The staff at Raclin welcomed Roberta warmly, and the family felt that extended to them as well. “We could not have asked for a better location for mom,” Jeff continued. “Not only did everyone take good care of my mom, they took care of my father, of all of us. Every three seconds, somebody was in there to check on us, to make sure we were all okay. You can tell they genuinely cared.”

There have been many patients at our inpatient units who request for their cat or dog to visit. Many times we can make this happen. Hospice care is all about meeting the needs of the whole person. That includes their physical, social, spiritual and emotional needs. We want to offer these moments to our patients and families, because these are important moments. Staff initially talked with the family about bringing their dogs to visit; however, one of them gets car sick and wouldn’t be able to make it to the facility. Somehow, within this conversation, it was mentioned that Foxy should make the trip. Plans developed from there.

Foxy was standing still, waiting for Roberta. Staff wheeled Roberta’s bed onto the patio and brought the two of them close. “When I saw Foxy see her,” Jeff recalled, “You could see the genuine concern come over Foxy’s face. We held mom’s hand up to Foxy’s nose and she sniffed her and neighed for her a little bit. She then settled down, like she was just visiting with her one last time. That was Foxy’s way of saying goodbye.” Even at the end of life, when our loved ones aren’t responsive, we understand that they sense much more than we may realize. That’s why, even when Foxy and Roberta were spending their last moments together, Roberta knew her horse was near. “I’m so thankful you guys let me do that for her,” Jim said. “She needed that to finalize her life.”

The amazing generosity of this family led to blessing others at Raclin and the staff of Center for Hospice Care, with the chance to come close to Foxy. For their lifetime together, Jim and Roberta loved to make other people happy. It was part of their mission with the campground. Together, Jim and Roberta brought joy to others during their own intimate and sacred moments. “I watched my father smile a little bit as he was holding the horse,” Jeff explained. “It dawned on me that they were having one last joyous moment together, making other people happy. If anything came from that whole experience, them getting to share that last moment of making others happy had to be the most special part.”

Most of us want death to come quickly, not over time. However, there may be reasons why death can take its time. “I think God set it up so we could say goodbye over a period of time,” Jim mused. “She could accept it, and I could accept it. She could go on her way and not worry about anything. I’m pretty sure that is what the extra time was for.” It can allow for moments with Foxy, and moments with family and friends. They shared their life for 58 years. “She was just a wonderful wife. I don’t think I could have found a better person as perfect for me as she was. We were meant for each other.”

Roberta was Foxy’s person. She was the one who took care of her, rode her and bonded with her. Jim liked Foxy, but wasn’t nearly as close as Roberta was. That’s changed, though. Today, Foxy and Jim are close. “When I see Foxy,” Jim said, “I think of Roberta instantly. The same thing with the two dogs. They lay on her bed every day.” Foxy and Jim spend time together every day, continuing Roberta’s legacy of love.

UPDATE: A lot of things have changed for the Bever family since Foxy’s visit to Raclin House last fall. Roberta’s death a few days later wasn’t unexpected. Neither was Jim’s death early in 2025. He had been struggling with his own health issues before Roberta’s death. Foxy now resides at Roberta’s granddaughter’s farm and has bonded with another retired mare there. She enjoys spending time with her new friend in the pasture they share, taking in the sun and lots of treats from the great-grand kids. She’ll stay here until it’s time for her to be reunited with Roberta and Jim.