A nurses' honor guard in Central New York has been paying tribute to caregivers for three years now, and one woman helped create more than a dozen additional honor guard chapters across the state.

During a ceremony, nurses dress in traditional uniform, read a final roll call, and give a gift to the deceased nurse’s family.

“Police have it, the military have it, now we have it. It's just something special,” said Barb Lyke, a registered nurse.

Wherever a member of the nursing community is lost, these nurses can be found. With white roses and a nightingale lamp, they say goodbye to caregivers.

“We are looking at the family as who we have to take care of as our patients, and that we can help them heal from their loss,” said Faith Terry, who started the Central New York Nurses Honor Guard three years ago.

Since then, the honor guard has done more than 200 tributes and have a band of more than 60 nurses ready to say yes when they’re needed.

“Several years with COVID, nurses got a bum rap. We really did. And now we're finally recognizing our nurses and honoring them for what they did,” said Terry.

Honoring nurses who have worked their final shift forges a strong connection.

“We are a family. I joined in May 2024 and these women are like a second family to me now,” said Susan J. Lamanna.

“They’re so supportive. They're like the sisters that I never had,” said Elaine Lostumbo.

Terry didn’t stop with Central New York. She says she helped start 20 other nurses honor guard chapters across the state.

“And I don't take credit for any of it, because all I did was give them information, and they took it and they ran with it,” said Terry.

The Central New York Nurses Honor Guard recently celebrated its third anniversary. While the nurses have done many tributes for nurses who have passed, they recently started doing living tributes for older nurses. Their group doesn’t charge families anything for these ceremonies.