Promise Kept

A daughter career choice honors her father, while following her mother's lead

Sara and Alicia Offenbacker on the day Alicia graduated with a nursing degree from Rutgers

For Sara and Alicia Offenbacker, hospice care is more than a profession; it’s a shared calling rooted in love, loss, and the powerful bond between a mother and daughter.

Sara Offenbacker has spent the past four years as Program Manager at NJHealth Hospice and Palliative Care. Often the first warm voice families hear; she’s known for her compassion, knowledge, and steady presence. Working alongside her is her daughter, Alicia, an RN case manager who plays a central role in patient care, visiting patients regularly, guiding families, and helping manage each step of the hospice journey.

Working together is meaningful, but Alicia’s decision to become a nurse and to choose hospice runs much deeper.

When Alicia was 11, her father was receiving hospice care following a heartbreaking diagnosis of cancer. During that time, Sara witnessed something remarkable in her daughter. “She was just a natural at taking care of him,” Sara recalls. Even at her young age, and as his illness progressed, Alicia made a promise that would quietly shape her future: she told her father she would one day become a nurse. It was a child’s promise made in the middle of grief, but one filled with purpose.

“It’s hard to keep it simple when it comes to Alicia,” Sara says with a proud smile. “Even then, I knew.”

The path wasn’t perfectly straight. After a few changes in college majors, Alicia circled back to nursing and earned her RN and BSN. She joined the NJHealth Hospice and Palliative Care team last year, bringing not only clinical skills, but a depth of empathy that can’t be taught.

“Every time I hear her on the phone or talk about her patients, I’m amazed,” Sara says of her daughter, adding she knows just what to say and how to comfort people during their hardest moments.

And the admiration is very mutual for these two caring women. " Working with my mom is like working with the superhero you’ve always looked up to. I’m in awe of her every day,” Alicia says with heartfelt pride “I’ve watched her care for patients at the end of life since I was about 8 years old. Twenty years later, it's still her passion.”

Alicia is proud and in awe of how her mother juggles her office duties while making each patient and family member feel like they’re her only priority. “On top of that, she still answers my many, many phone calls each day,” Alicia says with a laugh. “She is my best friend, my biggest supporter, and my inspiration for what I do. Working with her reminds me that we can accomplish anything on our own, but it’s a lot more fun doing it together.”

 For Sara, working together offers a front‑row seat to something truly special.

“I wouldn’t be able to see all of that if we didn’t work together,” she shares. “Watching her grow into this role, seeing the nurse she’s become—it’s incredible.”

And while there are long weeks and full days, their connection doesn’t end when the workday does. Sometimes, Sara admits, she just wants a quiet drive home with the radio on.

“But when Alicia calls,” she laughs, “I always pick up. I love hearing about her day.”

At NJHealth Hospice and Palliative Care, stories like Sara and Alicia’s remind us that hospice is not just about care, it’s about connection, legacy, and the love that carries us forward.