GREAT FALLS — On what would have been her 68th birthday, family, friends, and colleagues gathered Monday at Benefis Peace Hospice to honor the life and legacy of Terry Preite with the dedication of a new memorial garden.
A longtime senior leader at Benefis Health System, Preite oversaw both Peace Hospice and the Benefis Foundation, programs she poured her heart into for much of her career.
Aneesa Coomer reports – watch the video here:
New memorial garden at Benefis Hospice offers space for grief and healing
Preite was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. In December 2019, she spent her final days living at Peace Hospice, surrounded by the same staff and volunteers she had worked alongside and supported for years.
Rayn Ginnaty, Benefis Executive Vice President of Hospital Operations, explains, “Hospice was such an important place for Terry. There wouldn’t have been another place she would have wanted this garden. It’s an honor for her to have this space in such a place that brought her so much pride.”
The new Terry Preite Memorial Garden features sculptures, walking paths, and quiet spaces for reflection. It was designed not only for hospice patients and families, but for anyone in the community seeking peace.
Among the garden’s focal points is one of Montana’s first “wind phones.” The phone, housed inside a custom-built gazebo large enough for a wheelchair or walker, allows mourners to “call” loved ones who have passed away.
Words spoken into the unconnected phone are carried into the wind, offering a way to release emotions and continue conversations across loss.
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Ginnaty says, “The wind phone is a special tribute for people who want to speak to their loved ones. It’s a serene place where someone can reflect and say the things they might not have had a chance to say.”
The wind phone project was led by Cortney Leverentz, a hospice volunteer, in honor of her father and supported by several donors. Benefis leaders said they hope the space becomes a lasting source of comfort.
Jerry Lehman, a Benefis Foundation board member and hospice volunteer, spoke at the ceremony and said Preite understood the sacred role hospice plays in people’s lives and wanted others to experience its comfort, saying, “She appreciated that hospice helps not only with the practical, but also with the spiritual side of the end of life. This garden is a continuation of that spirit.”
The Terry Preite Memorial Garden is open to the public on the southwest lawn of Benefis Peace Hospice, 2600 15th Avenue South.
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