Husband and wife duo Pat Rice and Claire Fitzgerald volunteered for over 20 years as baby cuddlers in the NICU at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. Claire brought a gentle touch like a grandmother to the babies she held, and Pat was known for singing soothing Irish tunes.
Claire, 89, passed away in May. Pat, 90, passed away in February 2023. The dedicated couple is fondly remembered by the physicians and nurses in the NICU.
“They were treated as critical members of the care team,” says Maryellen Brady, director of volunteer services at Packard Children’s Hospital. “NICU parents were so grateful that their babies received so much extra love and kindness.”
Claire became a volunteer at Packard Children’s because she was appreciative of the care her son had received when he was hospitalized at just 3 months old at the former Children’s Hospital at Stanford. She started volunteering in patient relations, soon adding baby cuddling to her commitments and persuading her husband to join her.
“They loved working with everyone in the NICU because everyone who walked into the hospital for their job was there to help,” says their granddaughter Ashlyn. Claire and Pat are survived by Claire’s children, Peter, Joan, Brian, Michael, and Dan; 11 grandchildren; and four great grandchildren.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of the Packard Children’s News.
