Iowa Health - Des Moines

1200 Pleasant Street

Des Moines, Iowa 50309

p: 515-241-6212

Reaching Out to Others Through Quiet Generosity

Marney McKean is certainly not someone who seeks the limelight. Although a self-described "average sort of person," Marney has proved through her generosity that her giving spirit is more than average. Through outright gifts and a designated will bequest, Marney has created a legacy that will forever touch the lives of individuals who benefit from the services of Taylor House Hospice.

The first hospice to be part of Iowa Health-Des Moines, Taylor House is a 12-bed facility that offers comforting surroundings and exceptional care for terminally ill patients. Taylor House is named for Don and Dolores Taylor, the major donors to this hospice and family friends of Marney.

"Taylor House is special to me because of Don and Dolores, and the fact that I thought we needed one on the east side," says Marney, a resident of Valley View Village, a retirement community on the east side of Des Moines.

"I took some friends to Taylor House on the opening day. I liked it, so I went to the man in charge and told him I would like to donate a room, and that was it," she explains. "It was one of those impulse things. I thought it was something that needed to be done, and I could do it. So I did it!

"I'm not too sentimental. I'm too practical; that's more my nature," she adds with a laugh. "If there is a way I can help, I do it."

In addition to funding one of the 12 rooms in Taylor House, Marney has set up a bequest in her will to further her support. "I'm happy and blessed I can do it," she says.

Since Taylor House has opened, Marney has known individuals who have benefited from its services. "There have been a number of people from Valley View who have used the services of Taylor House. It's well done and attractive."

At 88, Marney enjoys living at Valley View, her home for the last 10 years. She and her late husband, John, lived in the Beaverdale area for 42 years. The staff of Taylor House Hospice is grateful for Marney's support and that of thousands of other donors.