When a hospice worker stepped into a quiet room at the Austinburg Nursing & Rehab Center in Ohio, he knew his patient did not have much time left.

Mary Redmond was resting in her bed, nearing the end of her life. Decades earlier, she had spent her days teaching piano and voice to neighborhood children. Now, in her final days, she longed for one simple comfort: to hear music once more.

Her dying wish was to hear a rendition of the sacred Christian hymn “How Great Thou Art.”

She did not know that the hospice aide standing right beside her bed was uniquely equipped to grant it.

A Student Returns
The hospice aide was Joshua Woodard. When he first took the job caring for Mary, her face triggered an immediate memory.

Woodard had met Mary years earlier at the Ashtabula Arts Center. She was his very first voice coach when he was just 9 years old.

“She always stuck in my mind,” Woodard recalled of his childhood teacher.

When Woodard realized the dying woman in the bed was the mentor who gave him his voice, he reached into his pocket. He pulled out his smartphone, loaded the lyrics to “How Great Thou Art,” and began to sing softly over her.

A Final Bedside Serenade
Woodard sang three to four spiritual solos right beside her pillow.

Mary’s daughter-in-law, Marti Adkins Redmond, stood in the corner of the room and filmed the entire moment.

“Hospice workers are angels, but this hospice aide is special,” Marti later wrote online. “Mary taught voice and piano in her day, and this aide Joshua Woodard was one of her students as a kid.”

Her son, Chuck Redmond, said his mother recognized the voice and found comfort in the songs. He confirmed that she was coherent enough to listen and enjoy the music during her final days.

Mary passed away peacefully shortly after the video was taken.

What We Know
The Connection: Mary Redmond taught voice and piano for decades in Ashtabula County, Ohio.

The Reunion: Joshua Woodard was assigned to her hospice care team without knowing beforehand that she was his former teacher.

The Moment: Woodard used his smartphone to pull up lyrics and serenaded her at her bedside.

The Impact: Family members filmed the gesture, generating millions of views across social media.

Why This Matters
Across the United States, millions of families face the heartbreaking reality of hospice care every day. The transition into end-of-life care often brings fear, isolation, and overwhelming grief.

Stories like Mary and Joshua’s remind us of the profound impact human dignity and compassionate healthcare can have during a family’s darkest hours. It highlights the quiet dedication of healthcare workers who go far beyond their official job descriptions to offer comfort.

Above all, it proves that the kindness and knowledge we invest in others often finds its way back to us when we need it most.

As Mary’s family noted, her life’s work as a teacher didn’t just end in a classroom—it returned to surround her with song at the very end.