Creating a Beautiful Place

For Kris, part of what’s driven him for all these years to produce his best work is the reaction he gets from families coming to see a loved one in the Care Center.

“They constantly come out, when they see me working, and say, ‘You know, the grounds look beautiful, you’re helping make our experience better because it is so beautiful,’” he said.

There have been multiple moments with families that have brought Kris a lot of pride in his work, one sticking out immediately.

When Kris was working on the fountain located outside the Care Center – a project that took about three weeks – there was a gentleman he became close with who would chat with Kris every day. The man’s son was in the Care Center, around Kris’s age, and had ALS, a disease Kris was very familiar with because at the time, he had a good friend who also had ALS.

Then one day when Kris came in, Rory told him the man’s son had died. Kris was working when the man came and told him about his son. Then he hugged Kris.

“I couldn’t believe that this man was hugging me and apologizing for the fact that his son had passed,” Kris said. “He just wanted to thank me for being that listening ear. I’ll never forget that.”

It isn’t only the patients and their families at Angela Hospice who have had a major effect on Kris’s life, the staff has as well.

“I’ve seen so many people that do so many good things there, it touches my heart to see how dedicated everybody is that does what they do there,” Kris said. “It’s just a beautiful place, filled with a bunch of beautiful people.”