East Tennessee Nurse Honor Guard
We honor the lives, careers, and dedicated service of
nurses at both the conclusion of their professional journey and at the end
of their lives. Through our Living Tributes and Final Tributes, we
respectfully recognize and celebrate the profound impact nurses have
made on their patients, families, colleagues and communities.
These meaningful tributes are provided through East Tennessee at no cost.
Nurses honoring nurses
We are active and retired nurses — nurse practitioners, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses — who volunteer our time to honor our own.
Our members attend funeral and memorial services in
traditional World War I-era nursing uniforms, providing a dignified
ceremonial presence or standing vigil at the request of the family. Through these time-honored traditions, we honor and commemorate each nurse’s legacy of service, compassion, and healing, while offering comfort, support, and respect to their family, friends, colleagues and loved ones.
Where we serve
We travel throughout East Tennessee to honor nurses in these thirteen counties. Note: Claiborne and Cocke Co TN are serviced by Heart of Appalachian Nurse Honor Guard in KY.
- Anderson
- Blount
- Cocke
- Grainger
- Hancock
- Jefferson
- Knox
- Loudon
- Morgan
- Roane
- Scott
- Sevier
- Union
Outside our coverage area?
Several independent Nurse Honor Guard chapters serve other parts of Tennessee. If a service is requested outside our coverage area, or if you are interested in establishing a Nurse Honor Guard chapter in your own community, please contact us. We are happy to provide guidance, resources and information to help.
Find an Honor Guard Near YouTwo ways we honor nurses
Honor the Living
We recognise nurses at retirement, at nursing pinnings and graduations, and at the bedside of nurses in hospice care. It is a chance to say thank you while a nurse can still hear it.
Read about Honor the Living
Final Tribute
A graveside or funeral ceremony honoring a nurse who has passed. We present the Florence Nightingale lamp and a white rose to the family, perform the Final Call to Service, and recite A Nurse's Prayer.
Read about the Final TributeIn the News
Featured on WBIR Channel 10
In December 2025 WBIR Channel 10 reported on the guard — “East TN Nurse Honor Guard gives tribute to fallen, honorable colleagues dedicated to the profession.”
Reported by WBIR Channel 10 and published on their YouTube channel, 19 December 2025.
How to request a Final Tribute
- 1
Call us or send the form
Reach out at any hour. If we miss your call, leave a voicemail and someone will contact you within 24 hours.
- 2
We coordinate with your funeral home
Tell us the nurse's name and where the service will be. We work directly with the funeral home or hospice so you are not left relaying details.
- 3
We perform the tribute
Our members arrive in uniform and present the Nightingale lamp and a white rose to your family as part of the service.
Every member of the East Tennessee Nurse Honor Guard is a volunteer. We are a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 99-2540341), and families are never asked to pay for a Final Tribute.
More than ceremonies
Between services you will find us at nursing graduations, honor cordons for arriving veterans, community fundraisers and a Christmas party or two.
Help us keep honoring nurses
Your generosity pays for uniforms and capes, travel to services across thirteen counties, Nightingale lamps and white roses, and our work in the community.
Every dollar goes back into honoring nurses with dignity, respect and gratitude. Thank you for your support and kind donation.
Ways to give
Talk to a nurse on the guard
Call either of us directly, or send a message and we will come back to you.
Please leave a voicemail and you will be contacted within 24 hours.
Send us a message
Member of the National Nurses Honor Guard Coalition