Content written and provided by Cedar Valley Hospice.
With the flick of her heel and the sounds of 30s and 40s music in her ears, Doreen Stirm was dancing again.
The smile on her face meant she was instantly transported back to when she was a little girl, putting on her tap shoes and letting the music move her body. Although this time she wasn’t upright, the feeling inspired giggles as her daughter’s eyes brimmed with love.
“It was a wonderful gift from Cedar Valley Hospice,” said daughter and part-time caretaker Angie Reuter. “She has always loved to dance.”
To help 94-year-old Doreen re-live “the magic,” Cedar Valley Hospice Music Therapist Rachel Johnson came up with the perfect plan. She took some taps she had at her home from her own daughter’s dance classes and glued the taps onto Doreen’s favorite pair of blue slippers. Of course, the living room stage wouldn’t be complete without Doreen’s old tap board she had saved from all those years ago.
“It was like Christmas morning,” said Rachel. “Her eyes lit up. I don’t think she ever thought she would be able to do that again. She was so happy.”
Doreen was practically born into a passion for music. Her grandfather was a singer in Washington D.C., where she grew up, and her mother, Anne, played the piano…daily.
“Every morning, I would wake up to the sound of Country Gardens,” she said. “And we would sing together all the time.”
It was only natural that she join a dance class. She studied tap and point ballet through high school. In the evenings, her mother used to take her to the theatre where they always sat in the first or second row to see the “guys play in the band.” Saturday nights were Lawrence Welk nights. “Of course, I knew all the songs for that too,” she said grinning.
Months before she died, she sat in her recliner, her piano is only 5 feet away, still with sheet music on its stand, but unable to play it. Macular degeneration caused her to barely be able to see, and her body is slowly declined.
“You’d think after all those years of playing, I would have memorized at least one song, so I could play it,” she smiles shaking her head.
That’s why helping her dream or “bucket list” goal become a reality was so important, said Rachel, Cedar Valley Hospice Music Therapist.
“She is such an active participant in our music therapy,” added Rachel. “For music therapy, the most important thing is to meet patient goals. Her goal was to be able to tap again. When I brought her the slippers, it was such a joyful moment for her…I think for a little bit she forgot she was 90 and dealing with her health.”
Although Doreen was receiving hospice care in her home, she was still able to enjoy life the only way she knew how – with music. In her lifetime, she’s been a singer, an organist, a painter, a poet, a farmer’s wife, a mother, and now, a great-grandmother who tap dances. Stirm died in 2018, but not before reliving one of her greatest passions.
“As I look back, I have a lot to be thankful for. Sometimes life isn’t easy, but it can be cheerful if you make it,” Doreen added. “Every time I see the sun shine, I’m so happy for that.”
Doreen and Ralph Stirm were married 60 years before he passed in 2006. Together they were the perfect team. They raised three children and farmed their land for 50 years in Brandon before moving to Independence in 1998.
To see Doreen tap dance, visit our YouTube channel. For more information about how Cedar Valley Hospice can help your loved ones, call 800.626.2360 or visit cvhospice.org.
Cedar Valley Hospice is the Independence BrewBQ official 2023 charity partner. Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit their programing in Buchanan County!