Page 84 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2018

feature | caring for body & soul
Ellen Ahern

SOUTHERN OREGON

FRIENDS OF HOSPICE Holmes Park House

“The end of life is a whole person experience,” according Ellen Ahern
to Susan Hearn, Executive Director of Southern Oregon
Friends of Hospice (SOFH). Her compassion and dedi-
cation fit with SOFH’s purpose to educate and serve.
They are currently raising money for Southern Oregon’s
first home for hospice care, Holmes Park House.

Many people want to spend their last days in their own
homes, but for various reasons that’s not possible. A hos-
pice facility serves as an alternative. The Holmes Park
House, however, is no mere “facility.” The home, once
the residence of Harry and Eleanor Holmes, (of Harry
and David), was privately owned until SOFH’s pur-
chase. They are currently in the process of renovation
and construction. The two-acre parcel sits in the middle
of 18-acre Holmes Park on Modoc Street in Medford.
Hospice patients will hear birdsong and children playing
in the park. They will see nature in surrounding botanical
gardens and enjoy views of the valley, as the house sits on
a knoll. Despite its grandness, the home offers a restful
and homey atmosphere. Of historical interest, Paul R.
Williams, the first African American architect in the AIA,
designed the 1939 residence. Williams designed homes
for stars, hotels, municipal buildings, schools, churches,
and more in the Los Angeles area. SOFH will eventually
place the mid-century Georgian colonial revival home
on the National Register of Historic Places. Holmes Park House will be placed on the
National Register of Historic Places after
continued on page 84 renovations are complete.

82 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | winter 2018