Laura Dean Bennett
Staff Writer
Illness and accidents are no respecters of holidays. They take no days off, no matter what the date on the calendar says.
During Christmastime, like all hospitals everywhere, Pocahontas Memorial Hospital will stand ready to receive those needing medical care. and PMH healthcare professionals will be at their posts.
The hospital is a family of individuals – caring professionals – each with a family of their own.
Take a trip through the halls of PMH and meet some of the people who make our hospital the special place that it is.
Michelle Deeds, CEO
Deeds began her career at PMH 10 years ago, going from Nursing Supervisor to Director of Nursing and serving now as Chief Executive Officer.
“No one wants to be in the hospital at any time of year, especially during Christmas,” Deeds said.
“We try to get as many patients home for the holiday as we can because who doesn’t want to be with their family at Christmas?
“The hospital is here for emergencies, and for those patients who are too ill to go home yet.
“Everyone here is focused on the wellbeing of our patients – on Christmas Day and every day. We try to bring a little Christmas into patient rooms – sometimes decorating with little Christmas trees, lights and little gifts. Tokens of holiday cheer to make the day a bit brighter.
“Christmas is about the birth of Christ. The way we celebrate that is by sharing love with our family, friends and neighbors. That’s what creates beautiful memories that last a lifetime.”
The Deeds’ Christmas Eve tradition includes opening one gift, attending the candlelight Christmas Eve service at Sinks Grove Baptist Church and taking a tour to see the town’s holiday lights.
“We also enjoy watching holiday movies, especially my all-time favorite – ‘A Christmas Story.’”
Bevin Saul, Director of Rehabilitation
Saul grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and her family spent Christmases in upstate New York at her maternal grandparent’s home in the Adirondacks.
“Being with my Oma and Opa was always such fun,” Saul said.
“We’d gather around the piano, my mother would play, and we’d sing Christmas carols. We’d open one present on Christmas Eve and attend midnight mass.
Saul really gets into the Christmas spirit, and it starts right after Thanksgiving. She wears a different Christmas sweater or shirt every day during the month of December.
She says she hears about people asking, “What’s Bevin going to be wearing today?”
John Johnson, DO ~ Emergency Room Physician
Johnson, known affectionately throughout the hospital as “J.J.,” has never felt that it was an imposition for him to work during the holidays.
“I’ve worked almost every Christmas during my whole career,” Johnson said. “I always took Christmas because the other doctors had little ones at home.
“My wife, Kim, is a nurse at Peyton House, the hospice hospital in Lewisburg and she’s worked a lot on Christmas, too.
“My family and I could have our ‘special day’ any day.”
Apparently, the emergency room can be a busy place during the holidays, especially on Christmas Eve.
“It’s not unusual,” he said. “You can count on a few Christmas-related injuries on Christmas Eve.
“I always keep my eyes peeled for Santa coming in – having fallen off his sleigh, getting a reindeer bite or getting singed going down a chimney,” Johnson chuckled.
“But seriously, you’d be surprised how many dads injure themselves putting a toy or a bike together in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve.
“And they all want to know ‘how long is this going to take because I have to get home and finish putting this thing together before tomorrow morning!’”
There’s a personal Christmas memory that’s one of J.J’s favorites. It has to do with a little trick he pulled on his son when he was about five or six years old.
“His bedroom was upstairs and had a full-length window that overlooked the roof.
“We had goats, and I got the idea to carry a goat and a sled up on the roof. I hooked a goat up to the sled and walked him past my son’s window.
“When he woke up and saw the hoofprints and sled tracks in the snow, I told him it must have been Santa and his reindeer.
“Luckily, we’d just had a fresh snow, or this wouldn’t have worked. But he fell for it hook, line and sinker,” J.J. laughed.
“If I had one wish for the good people of Pocahontas County, I’d say, ‘Merry Christmas and may you enjoy good health all year long,” he mused.
“And if you need us, we’ll be here for you.”
Sara Casto ~ PMH Executive Director
Sara’s dad, Ed Wagner, was well-known in the community. He served as Marlinton’s postmaster for twenty some years – until 1977.
“I remember he’d often go to the post office to check for packages on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – he wanted to be sure that people received their Christmas packages on time.
“Oh, we have so many great Christmas memories.” Casto continued.
“I remember doing dishes and when the kitchen window would get steamed up, we’d find little footprints on the glass.
“Mom would have made a print of her fist on the window and dotted her fingertips above it, making it look like a tiny footprint.
“She’d tell us that it was Santa’s elves looking in on us making sure we were being good.
“Apparently, we were always good enough because Santa always came.
“For many years, my mom filled 17 stockings for us and our families.”
But this year will be different for Casto and her family.
This will be the first year that she and her brother, Mark Wagner, will not be having Christmas in their childhood home on Second Avenue.
“Even though our dad is gone, and Mom is in the nursing home battling dementia, our parents wouldn’t want us not to keep our family traditions – not to celebrate.
“Christmas is important – it’s about the birth of Christ and the love of family.”
Velma Wilfong, RN
“I still believe in Santa. He’s always been there, and he’s just part of our world,” Wilfong said with conviction and a big smile.
“I grew up with one brother and two sisters. We were always so excited about Christmas.
“We’d go through the Sears Roebuck catalogue to make our Christmas lists.
“We’d try to stay up to see Santa come – but we never could.
“Our family didn’t have a lot of money, but we had each other. And our parents, Ben and Shirley Wilfong, always made sure we had a nice Christmas.
“We’d each get one present – and that was enough. I think it made us appreciate things more,” Wilfong said as she nodded her head.
“Even though money was tight, we had good times.
“After my brother and sisters and I grew up and got jobs, we could get my parents gifts.
“One of my favorite memories is of my parents opening our Christmas gifts. I guess for so long they didn’t have money to give each other Christmas gifts – they were always all about making Christmas special for us kids.”
Her parents are gone now, and she tears up remembering how good their parents were to them. And how they made Christmas so special with their love.
Summer Moore, Manager ~ Rural Health Clinic
“We’re all a family here at PMH and we consider ourselves part of the Pocahontas County family at large.
“The Rural Health office will be open a half day both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to care for those who may need our services,” Moore explained.
“I have so many Christmas memories about my grandmother.
“She taught me to bake, and I also helped with the baking when I worked at Rayetta’s Lunchbox.
“At Christmastime, I always bake sugar cookies with festive icing.
“My husband, Josh, our son, Rhett and I usually travel to see my parents and family and his family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Thank goodness they all live in Pocahontas County and Bath County.
“But that’s what Christmas means to us – it’s about family.
‘The best Christmas present was in Christmas 2020 when Josh and I got to tell our families that we were expecting a baby in July of 2021. That was so wonderful,” she said with a smile.
“Of course, we all had to wait seven months for the gift to be ‘delivered,’ but the announcement was the best gift for all of us.”
“This year, that little gift – our Rhett – is very excited about Christmas.”
Alyssa Nottingham ~ Acute Care Manager
“I’ve worked in a lot of places in Virginia and West Virginia, but this is my favorite. We really are a family, and our patients are part of that family.
“Pocahontas County is a close-knit community. We usually either know our patients personally or somehow there’s a personal connection – we know someone who knows them, – we might even be related to them.
“Wherever I’ve worked, I’ve usually worked on Christmas. I’ve only worked one Christmas since I’ve been at PMH. But I could tell it’s different here because although a patient who’s in the hospital during Christmas is away from their family at home, they’re here with their extended community family.
“I think it makes our care a little more personal.
“Being here at Christmas is probably way easier than it might be in a hospital away from here.
“I learned a lot from Sabrina, my boss at Davis Memorial Hospital, about how to treat employees during the holidays.
“She was thoughtful and went above and beyond for her employees – and it meant a lot to everyone.
“I’ve tried to pattern myself after her example.
“She’d come in every holiday – whether she was scheduled to work or not – and bring a treat for everyone in her department.
“This year I’m planning to do that for my employees in Acute Care.
“I’ve always loved Christmas. It’s a special time for all of us.”
Dr. Timothy Lane, DO ~ Emergency Medicine Specialist
“I haven’t had to work on Christmas here at PMH thanks to J.J. [Dr. Johnson], my colleague in the Emergency Department,” Lane said. “He always volunteers to work for those of us who are needed at home”
“Like most people, Christmas is the time of year that brings my family together.
“My wife, Amanda and I live in Greenbrier County. I have a large extended family there and we all like to be together at Christmas.
“Amanda’s from Wyoming County and has family there. Those who can travel, come to be with us for Christmas.
“This year will be a special Christmas.
“Our son, Gavin, is in the Navy, and he’s going to be home for Christmas.
“He’ll be with us from the 21st to the 29th and while he’s here, lots of company from both sides of the family will be coming to Greenbrier County to see him.”
Lane has had years of experience working in emergency rooms during the holidays.
“Emergency rooms are typically pretty quiet on Christmas Eve and early on Christmas Day, with the exception of the kind of Christmas Eve accidents J.J. was telling you about.
“But it’s the days after the holiday itself that get busy with accidents and medical emergencies.
“And a lot of those medical emergencies are due to people misbehaving with rich and salty holiday foods.
“I’d advise people who have health concerns to be careful during the holidays. Avoid the foods that can cause you trouble.
“Try not to end up in the emergency room, but if you do, we’ll be here for you,” he said with a smile.
Brandy Moore ~ Lead Clerk, Patient Access
When patients come to the front lobby to check in for services at the hospital, it’s Brandy Moore or the other patient access clerk, Alyce Mick, who are there to welcome them.
What a difference a friendly face and patient attitude can make when one is filling out a form at the registration desk. A patient may be nervous about something as simple as a blood test, or something as critical as a diagnostic procedure, the results of which may have the potential to change one’s life.
No matter what the circumstances, the patient access clerks are the public face of the hospital- the first person that many people will meet at PMH.
“We try to do all we can to make each interaction at PMH a little nicer for patients, family members and visitors,” Moore stated.
“We know that it’s hard for people to be in the hospital – and away from home – especially at Christmastime.
“It’s our job to be really tuned into people’s needs.
“Everyone who works here is, of course, concerned with our patients’ physical needs. But we also take their emotional needs into account as well,” she added.
“The holidays are a special time of year that brings the community together – the hospital community and our Pocahontas County neighbors, as well.”
“We try never to forget how important a smile or a few words can be to someone who is sitting across from us at the registration desk,” Moore concluded.
Alyce Titus-Mick ~ Patient Access Clerk
Mick, a transplant from a small town in Washington State, has been in Pocahontas County for six years and it has always “felt like home.”
“Everyone here is so friendly and kind. I felt at home right away. And it’s been the same way here at PMH,” Titus-Mick said.
“The hospital is such a warm, welcoming environment. We all feel like family.
“I’m lucky to have Christmas Day off this year, but I’ll be back at work the day after.”
This will be Mick’s first Christmas as a mom.
She and husband Stephen Mick – proud parents of their three-month-old son, Milo, will be having a very special Christmas this year.
“It was really something watching my dad completely change when he saw Milo for the first time.
“I grew up with four brothers – the only girl in a family of five kids, so I learned how to wrestle at pretty early age,” she said with a chuckle.
“Christmas was a big thing for us, growing up. My dad was like Mr. Christmas. We always did the ‘cut your own Christmas tree down’ thing at the Christmas tree farm.
“We’ll be doing Christmas with all our Christmas traditions from both of our families.”
Robbie Pyles ~ Materials Manager/ Safety Officer and Water and Wastewater Operator
Pyles has been at PMH for 34 years, so there’s not a lot that goes on here that he doesn’t know at least a little about.
“Yeah, I guess you could say I know where the bodies are buried,” he laughed.
“In fact, I probably buried them myself.
“We try to do a lot to make the hospital as cheerful and festive as we can at Christmas for the patients and the employees,” Pyles said.
Of course, there are a lot of safety regulations that must be observed – no electric lights on live trees, no extension cords, no flammable materials and things like that. But Pyles doesn’t let that stop him from making things work.
“The hospital puts up an outdoor nativity scene,” he said. “It’s usually up front, but this year, because of the recent renovation, we’re setting it up near the Emergency Room entrance. And the hospital auxiliary puts up its Love Light Tree, which everyone really likes.
“I haven’t been scheduled to work on Christmas since the late 90s.
“But Christmas or not, I’m on call every other week, so sometimes I do get called out about maintenance issues, snow removal, ice treatment for the sidewalks and things like that.
One of Pyles sweetest Christmas memories about PMH is from 1990, which was his first Christmas working at the old hospital downtown.
“They gave every employee a $5 bill. It was a great gift, especially considering the hospital was struggling financially.
Pyle said that Christmas, and winter in general, can be busy sometimes.
“Thank goodness we’re here for all the folks who come to visit and to ski up at Snowshoe.
“PMH can handle most of the skiing injuries that happen so those folks don’t have to go so far to be treated. Of course, we also have the Life Flight service – the helicopter that can take patients to another facility if necessary.
“It’s a good place to work and it’s a good place to be a patient. Everyone here really cares about each other and Christmas is a beautiful time of year around here.”
Caitlin Keatley ~ Emergency Department Manager
Until just recently, Keatly had nearly always worked the night shift through Christmas Eve and Christmas night.
“I’m fortunate to see my family every day of the year; we all live close to each other here in Pocahontas County,” she explained.
“I like to work the holidays so other people who may not be able to see their family as often as I do can have that time together. Or if they have young kids, it’s nice for them to be able to be home with them,” she added.
“When I was growing up in Pocahontas County, it wasn’t unusual to have a white Christmas, which was a lot of fun.
“We always wrote letters to Santa and mailed them to the North Pole.
“And we always got a response from him! Can you imagine our excitement?
“I guess those letters are in a tote somewhere in my mom’s house because I know we definitely saved them.
‘We’d read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ and watch Santa’s sleigh flying around the world on the NORAD Santa tracker.
“I think Christmas should be more about doing things for others who are less fortunate than we are and passing down beautiful memories from one generation to another rather than buying things.
“Having a mom who worked for social services taught us to be grateful for having a good family and to recognize that not everyone is that fortunate,” Keatley said.
Kristi Shisler ~ Director of Nursing
Shisler told me that Pocahontas County is a special place to grow up and that she has lots of wonderful Christmas memories.
“You speak to everyone you meet, and everyone speaks to you,” she said.
“My family would always go to my Aunt Nicki Felton’s house for Christmas Day. She went all out for Christmas. Every room in her house was decorated. That seemed like such a big deal to us when we were little.
“One year she mentioned that she might like to scale back on the decorating and there was a revolt. ‘You can’t do that Aunt Nicki! You can’t!’
Shisler and her husband, Mike, have twins – a boy and a girl –Waylon and Lauren.
“Of course, Christmas changes dramatically after you have children of your own.
“You want your kids to have nice traditions like that, too.
“As time passes some of our Christmas memories are bittersweet now.”
“I remember one Christmas when the kids were little. Lauren had lost her blankie. It was a big deal- she carried it everywhere. We looked and looked but couldn’t find it anywhere.
“Lauren wrote to Santa and said all she wanted for Christmas was her blankie back. That’s all she asked for. I didn’t know what to do.
“Well, wouldn’t you know it, one day I was cleaning out her book bag and found it in a side pocket – and just in time for Christmas.
“You should have seen her face when she opened that package with her blankie in it.
“What a great memory and what a lesson. You don’t always have to spend money to make someone happy.”
Becky Hammer ~ CFO
PMH likes to make Christmas festive. We have lots of events for the employees.
“There’s the Christmas party, which is for employees, their spouses and their children. It’s at the Opera House this year,” she said.
“We just ask each employee to bring a gift for the FRN’s Project Christmas, which helps make Christmas special for Pocahontas County children whose families are having a hard time.
“There’s also the hospital’s Secret Santa gift exchange, which is always fun and our door decorating contest which has created a lot of interest throughout the county.
Hammer and her partner, Dan Tice, live in Elkins. That means that Hammer stays in Marlinton during the week and goes home on weekends.
“In the winter, I stay in shape by walking inside the Wellness Center and in the summer I walk all over town.”
The couple has a horse and an alpaca farm, Orchard Hill Alpacas, with 31 alpacas.
Her mother has a loom and knits and weaves with the alpaca fiber.
“My son, his wife and their son live in Morgantown.
“At Christmas, we spend time with family and special friends.
“I really love to cook and entertain.
“One of my favorite Christmas gifts when I was little was an E-Z-Bake Oven. I’ve been baking and cooking ever since,” she laughed.
“One year we had about 15 guests for Christmas Eve dinner. I was serving clam chowder, beef tenderloin and smoked salmon. I ran outside to take the salmon out of the smoker, slipped and fell.”
Of course, as any consummate hostess, although she was in pain, Hammer had to see the evening through before she could go to the emergency room where she was treated for a broken wrist.
“Christmas is the time to celebrate with family and friends.
“It’s a time for helping those who are less fortunate, we must never forget that.
“Here at PMH, I’m proud to say, we never forget.”
Betty Hurff ~ Dietary Aide
The dietary department is an important part of keeping patients happy and healthy while they’re in the hospital, especially during Christmas.
And they not only feed patients three meals a day, every day of the year, but they also serve lunch to the employees and the public in the hospital cafeteria.
“We decorate the cafeteria for all the holidays. Last Christmas we put up a tree and this year we’re thinking of making a snowman tree,” Hurff said.
“When I was growing up in Pennsylvania, Christmas was really special.
“I’m from a big family- there were six of us kids- three girls and three boys. We were poor, but we didn’t know it. Somehow our parents made sure we had what we needed.
“My husband, Kenneth, and I have two grown children. They and their families live in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania and the nine-hour drive to either one of their homes is a little too much for us these days.
“But we text with each other every day.
“Christmas is sometimes just us and our cocker spaniel, Blackberry. She’s so much fun.
Hurff is the sentimental type.
Her great-grandmother came from Germany and made a living here in America by making macaroni salad and potato salad.
“That’s it – she sold her delicious macaroni and potato salad.”
Hurff always has a pickle on her Christmas tree at home – a German tradition.
Their Christmas tree is covered with Betty’s collection of German Christmas ornaments.
“Kenneth and I like to keep the tradition of making my aunt’s pressed Christmas cookies. We get in the kitchen and make them together.
“That and just sitting in our living room, enjoying the beautiful Christmas tree is how I like to celebrate Christmas,” Hurff said, smiling.
Edwina Garber, President and Michael Hall, Vice President ~ PMH Auxiliary
The hospital auxiliary has been in existence for many years. It raises money to defray expenses of special hospital projects.
“Hospital departments can submit a form detailing a need and the auxiliary does its best to take care of it,” Garber explained.
“Last year we purchased a vaccination fridge. And this year we’re purchasing special tools for the maintenance department and some supplies for the speech and physical therapy departments.
“We’re a group of volunteers who are serious about taking care of the hospital,” Hall explained. “And we also operate the hospital gift shop.”
The hospital gift shop sells all kinds of interesting gifts – Christmas and non-Christmas related alike.
“We place two Christmas trees in the hospital – the registration lobby tree and the Love Light tree, which is covered with ornaments, each inscribed with the name of a loved one who has passed and the name of their family member or friend who placed it there,” Garber said.
“We’ve bought Christmas wreaths and are placing them indoors and outdoors around the hospital and have been taking care of the hospital’s nativity scene for a long time now.”
This is a busy time of year for the auxiliary.
On the day I was visiting the gift shop, Hall and Garber were busy boxing up wares to take the shop on the road.
The items will be for sale at three Christmas craft fairs in Pocahontas County – in Hillsboro, Dunmore and in Marlinton at the annual craft show in the Opera House.
“The PMH Auxiliary wants to thank everyone who has supported our efforts in the past and we wish the community a happy and healthy holiday season,” Garber said.
Mikey Callison ~ Director of Plant Operations
“I was almost born in Pocahontas County,” Callison joked. “It was next door in Greenbrier County in the hospital in Lewisburg.”
“I’m on call during Thanksgiving and Christmas week, of course. Maintenance is always on call if anything comes up that would affect a patient’s wellbeing or safety.
He and his wife, Allie Erlewine Callison, are especially looking forward to enjoying the Christmas season with their seven-month-old baby boy, Jalen.
“The highlight of my year used to be deer camp during Thanksgiving week, but I have a feeling that Christmas is going to be the big thing for the next several years now that Jalen’s here,” Callison said, smiling.
“When Jalen gets older, I’m looking forward to taking him with me to deer camp and making it a father-son tradition.
“Christmas used to involve going to Allie’s family in Nitro, but now with the baby, we’ll probably be doing Christmas at home.
“We’ll have Christmas breakfast with my parents in Hillsboro.
“I kind of feel like I got the best Christmas gift I could ever have seven months ago. It was like Christmas came in May this year,” Callison said, beaming.
Deloris Triplett ~ Cook, Dietary Department
“The Christmas meal is important to people and it’s a meal that will be entirely homemade here at the hospital – everything from scratch,” Triplett said proudly.
“That’s what makes it special.
“Besides ham, sweet potatoes, cole slaw and rolls, I’m thinking we’ll bake apple crisps for dessert.
“We always try to accommodate all our patients. Once we find out they’re not eating or they have a special problem, we go out of our way to be sure to give them what they will eat,” Triplett insisted.
“We have specific guidelines that help us make sure that our patients are getting food that’s nutritious, safe for them and will help with their recovery.
“At Christmas and every day, we try to make patient trays something to look forward to.
“And many people don’t know it, but the public is invited to come to the cafeteria any day. It’s extremely reasonable – for a few dollars you can get a good lunch.”
Triplett and her husband, Frank, have been married for 33 years.
“We get all decked out at our house – we both love Christmas.
“It might be a little difficult, but this year I’m going to try to take a week off after Christmas and we’re planning to go to Pigeon Forge.
“That will be our special Christmas gift for each other.
“We’re really blessed to have each other, and we know it,” Triplett said.
“My Christmas message to our Pocahontas County friends is this:
“Cherish your loved ones while you have them. That’s what Christmas is all about.”
Susan Wilkins ~ Public Relations Coordinator
“PMH employees show their Christmas spirit by participating in a Secret Santa gift exchange,” Wilkins said. “For several years now, we’ve also sponsored a Christmas decorating contest.”
Each department decorates a door, and all the doors are pictured on the hospital’s Facebook page or the hospital website.
“We encourage the community to take part in the door decorating contest by voting.
“On Christmas, we are so very grateful to the people of Pocahontas County for their support. Without their patronage, PMH would not exist.
“It’s a privilege and a blessing for us to serve our community and its visitors,” Wilkins continued.
“On behalf of everyone at PMH, I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!”