Phyllis Zettler and her late husband, Tommy, created a warm, loving home in Fulton where the doors were always open for their four daughters, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. 

Her daughters wanted Phyllis’ final days to be filled with comfort, peace and family in her home. North Mississippi Health Services Hospice helped them do that. 

“She built a great life,” said daughter Terri Green. “It was a blessing we were able to keep her at home.”

A Life Well Lived

Phyllis fought breast cancer for decades even as she built a career in business management with the Itawamba County Times, Journal Publishing and Sprint Print. 

“She was diagnosed when I was 10,” Terri said. 

Phyllis had more than 30 years of good health when the cancer returned, spreading to her spine and her liver in 2023, her daughters said. 

“When it came back in her liver and back, it was just too much and too hard,” Terri said. 

The Cancer Care and Radiology teams were wonderful, providing the best care for Phyllis, but it became clear that she was in her final weeks. 

“She became weaker, and she wasn’t feeling well,” daughter Sharon Cox added. 

The daughters, Terri, Sharon, Karen George and Linda Boeko, wanted to be able to keep Phyllis at home and have all the resources she needed to control her pain and other symptoms. 

“They got her everything she needed before we knew she needed it,” Terri said. 

Initially Phyllis had been a little nervous about hospice because she wasn’t sure what to expect. Her daughters, three of them nurses, shared their professional experience with hospice, but it was the NMHS Hospice team, nurse Allison Miller, social worker Beth Buse, aide Tiffany Pounds and nurse practitioner Kayla Schafer, who really put her at ease. 

“She loved to visit with them,” Terri said. “They became like part of the family.” 

Sharon moved in to be Phyllis’ primary caregiver, with her sisters and the grandchildren in support. Terri moved in to help her sister during her mother’s final two weeks. 

“We were able to spend as much time with her as we could,” Terri said. 

Those last two months with hospice care were full of blessings. Phyllis’ pain was under control. She was able to attend church and visit with friends in her home. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren continued to drop in. 

“She loved having all the kids here,” Sharon said. “The kids dropping by was one of her joys.” 

The Hospice team also focused on what Phyllis' daughters needed as they looked after her. 

"They took care of the whole family," Terri said.

One of those blessings was to participate in a final Christmas Eve tradition at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church with her family. 

“She was bound and determined to go to the Lord’s Supper,” Terri said. 

“It was the best thing,” Sharon said. “We all knew that it was the last Christmas.” 

As Phyllis’ condition declined after Christmas, the Hospice team helped the family prepare for the end. 

“They were able to give her a good life until the end,” Terri said. 

Phyllis passed peacefully in her home on Jan. 2, 2024, at the age of 82. 

Continuing Care

The Hospice care didn’t end with Phyllis’ death. Bereavement care for the family continued for 13 months.

“They’ve kept in touch and checked on the family,” Sharon said. 

Since Phyllis’ passing, the family has welcomed her 10th great-grandchild. Her legacy also includes a deep gratitude for the Hospice team. 

“She was so at ease,” Terri said. “The Hospice team was wonderful.”