Home-builder believes everyone deserves a beautiful final home

Karen Garner, owner of Magnolia Homes, knows first-hand how meaningful a place like the Methodist Hospice Residence can be for families and their loved ones.

“My mother left her job and came to live with me for 22 years to help me with my children, so I could start my business. She was my best friend, and my children adored her. She was an angel. She was just a very thoughtful and giving person who had the need to serve others,” Karen shared.

When her mother, Dorothy Roberts, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Karen sought out the best care possible for her and learned that the nearest residential hospice was, at that time, 150 miles away.

So, Karen chose to care for Dorothy in her home, “We started having a Methodist Hospice nurse come out. She just put me at ease and made me feel comfortable with the process. She would come whenever I needed her – even in the middle of the night.”

With the help of Methodist Hospice and additional caregivers, Karen provided 24-hour care for Dorothy until she passed away to be with the Lord.

During this time, Karen was contacted by the Methodist Healthcare Foundation about a plan to build a Hospice Residence.

She said, “I had a courtyard at my model home with beautiful landscaping and a water feature. They modeled the courtyard at the Hospice Residence after it, because they wanted that same home-like feeling. I felt so honored.”

Understanding so personally how meaningful such a place could be for loved ones, Karen chose to make a commitment to help create the Methodist Hospice Residence.

“I felt the need to do it. We all want our families to have the best care.

So, I committed,” Karen added.

In 2010, she attended the Methodist Hospice Residence groundbreaking, and was moved by the courtyard design inspired by her project, “Instead of long hallways with rooms on each side, this facility had windows and doors that open into this incredible courtyard where patients can go outside with their loved ones to sit and pray, or talk, or meditate, or just be together. That, to me, gives you peace.”

Since then, Karen has continued to support Methodist Hospice in many meaningful ways.

For five consecutive years, she and her son and business partner, Reggie Garner, Jr., have sponsored the Night Life for Methodist Hospice event.

In 2015, she hosted an event called The Bathtub Party, which raised over $22,000 to purchase a therapeutic bathtub for the Hospice Residence to allow patients to experience the comfort of a warm bath.

And in 2019, Karen planned the House Party for Hospice fundraiser at her new home where she raised over $33,000 for Methodist Hospice.

“You know, when you think about it, family is what this is all about. The facility is your last home, and we all want the best last home and best care for our loved ones.”