"Providing peace at the end" By Jay Bookman Associate Editor, Constitution: After a year of working in a nursing home, June LaMacchio had grown used to seeing death. So when she volunteered to work with the terminally ill through the Shepherd's Gate Hospice in Covington, she thought she was prepared. She wasn't. Her first patient was a 15-year old boy who was dying of cancer. Now, more than two years later, his memory still brings tears to her eyes. But she has continued her work. "I have received far more emotionally than I can ever pay back," she said, calling hospice work "the most humane, compassionate, loving thing you can do." LaMacchio, 55, volunteers a few hours each week, bathing patients, checking that their pain medication is sufficient, and relieving family members of their caretaking duties for a few hours. "Sometimes," she said, you just sit there and hold someone's hand." The Shepherd's Gate hospice offers nursing care, pain management, counseling and spiritual help through the Rev. Jack McBride, hospice director and a Roman Catholic priest. The work can be draining. Once a month, a psychologist offers a counseling session for hospice workers, to let them talk about the pain of the job. And at Christmas, the hospice staff holds a candle-lighting ceremony to remember those people who have died in the past year. Last year, LaMacchio said, she grew particularly close to a woman dying of cancer. But LaMacchio had to leave her patient late in her illness to take her own son, Marcus, then 12, to a hospital in Atlanta for surgery to correct scoliosis, a spinal condition. "I may not be here when you get back," the woman told LaMacchio. "But don't worry, I'll be looking in on you. I'll be a little bug on the wall." A few days later, sitting in her son's hospital room after successful surgery, LaMacchio noticed a ladybug crawl from the hospital window and settle on the back of the sofa where LaMacchio sat. She wasn't surprised to learn later that her patient had died that day. Mother, daughter die in car accident...... Putnum County wreck claims lives of local women..... By Jane Grillo.. Managing Editor.......... The reports in this weeks issue of a Putnam County newspaper gave the sterle, hard-news facts about the accident which claimed the lives of two Newton County women. But for Jack and Rita McBride, the founders of Shepherd's Gate Hospice, the accident ended the lives of two special citizens. According to Putnum County Sheriff Harold Sills, June Winkler LaMacchio, 57, of Newborn, and her daughter Elizabeth "Scottie" Williams, 34, of Mansfield, were traveling east towards Milledgeville on Highway 212 at around 7 p.m. on Nov. 20. She reportedly stopped at the stop sign and began to proceed into the intersection directly into the oncoming path of a logging vehicle, killing them instantly. The driver of the truck, William Miller of Round Oak, was uninjured. No charges are expected to be filed in the case. LaMacchio was a certified nursing assistant who has been associated with Shepherd's Gate over the last two years, beginning first as a volunteer, and then working for the hospice agency part time. Rita McBride said, "Anybody who knew June knew her well. She was a friend to everyone she met. LaMacchio had worked one-to-one with clients of the hospice, assisting clients with personal hygiene and helping nurses with care. According to Jack McBride, she had not been assigned to any clients in the last year, so fortunately, they did not have to break the news about her untimely death to the people she worked with. But she will be missed. "She was a very giving person," Rita noted. She always left people feeling good about themselves after they spent some time with her." Funeral services for LaMacchio and Williams will be held Saturday at 2p.m. in the chapel of Caldwell & Cowan on Floyd Street. The Rev. Jack McBride will officiate. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations in their honor be made to Shepherd's Gate hospice, P.O. Box 447, Covington, Ga. 30015. LaMacchio was born in Fulton County on June 16, 1940, the daughter of the late Elizabeth Hammond Winkler. She was employed by Marathon Courier and was a member of County Line Baptist Church. Williams was born on Aug. 21, 1963 in Fulton County. She was a resident of Newton County for the past 25 years, most recently residing in Mansfield. Women Die In Wreck Two Jasper County ladies were killed when their vehicle pulled into the path of a log truck last Thursday at the intersection of Hwy. 212 and U.S. 129 in Putnam County. Mrs. June LaMacchio, 57, of Newborn, and her daughter, Elizabeth Williams 34, of County Line Road, were killed. Witnesses said Mrs. LaMacchio, who was traveling east on Hwy. 212 drove in the path of 1988 Mack log truck, driven by William Miller, 64, of Round Oak, who was going south on U.S. 129. When Miller's unloaded truck hit The 1993 Mazda van, it spun into the parking lot of the corner BP station, smashing into the gas pumps, according to a report in the Macon Telegraph. Sheriff Howard Sills said a traffic light has been approved for that intersection. A memorial service for the ladies is planned for this Saturday, Nov. 29, at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Caldwell and Cowan Funeral Home in Covington. The Rev. Jack McBride will officiate.

Grief Support Groups: Sponsored by SGH: June LaMacchio, C.N.A. It now has been something like two years since I began seeing ads in our local papers for hospice volunteers. As a 20+ year resident of the Newton County area, I have grown to love many things about this area. But seeing these ads gave me a very good feeling about my community. I felt drawn to the idea of hospice. A few years ago I read an article about hospice and liked the concept but I felt I did not have anything to offer so all these feelings were put on the back burner. Then I went back to school, took a C.N.A. course and began working at a nursing home. The idea of hospice kelp coming to mind. There it was again, the ad seeking volunteers! The next thing I knew I was in a training class. There I met some really terrific and dedicated people and learned that I did have something to contribute. Well it has been two years now and I really am happy with my role in hospice. At times I feel so inadequate, the need seems so great and what we do seems so small. Then a client will hug you and say "I don't know what I would do without you". Then it all seems to balance. I will never be able to give back all the love and appreciation I have received through hospice work. Thank you hospice for giving me a place to share and give of myself. June LaMacchio, C.N.A.