History

The Hospice of East Texas began with one woman’s vision. Evie Lake visited a hospice in Arizona and returned home to Tyler with the certainty that our community needed these caring services. Her spark caught fire with The Junior League of Tyler and through the research efforts of Paula Bates and Sandie Propst, The Hospice of East Texas became a signature project of The Junior League. In 1982, with funding of $30,000 from the Junior League, The Hospice of East Texas was incorporated.

Hospice services expanded through the years, both in numbers of patients and families served and in the scope of the service area. From 20 patients in 1985 to more than 2000 patients served in 2007, The Hospice of East Texas now offers its caring services in 18 East Texas counties.

A major milestone was reached in 1993 when 23 acres of land were purchased as the site for what is now The Robert M. Rogers Hospice Center, housing both administrative offices and HomePlace, a 28 bed in-patient unit. Also on the campus is the Pat Oge Center for Living, a beautiful home-like setting for bereavement and support services. Successful capital campaigns in 1999 and 2002 allowed these state-of-the-art facilities to be built debt-free, giving The Hospice of East Texas a stability which is remarkable in the non-profit world.