As a pioneer in the hospice movement in Charleston, SC, Rinne Sade is no stranger to the mission of hospice. After purchasing a home in Flat Rock/Hendersonville, NC, Rinne’s passion for hospice continued through her relationship with Hendersonville’s Hospice Home Stores and Four Seasons.

In 1975, Rinne began working as an RN in the Surgical ICU of the Medical University Hospital in Charleston, SC. She realized she had a special place in her heart for the patients’ families. She understood the pain when watching their loved one pass away. Later, she was instrumental in changing ICU visiting hours from severely restricted to an “open” schedule, thus allowing family members to spend more time at the bedside.

In 1981 she completed a master’s degree in counseling from the Citadel, where she interned with a chaplain who specifically worked with terminally ill patients. When the chaplain was contacted by two others who were interested in starting the first hospice organization in Charleston, Rinne quickly jumped on board to help. Together, they founded Hospice of Charleston, where Rinne was the founding head of the Bereavement and Volunteer departments. Grace Episcopal Church gave them their Sunday school rooms for offices. At that time, this home health hospice had only one other registered nurse, the attending physician, and the executive director. Hospice of Charleston provided care for anyone in need, even if they were unable to pay. “I came to understand the need for nonprofit hospices at this time because medical insurance policies did not reimburse for hospice care in the early 1980s. We ensured that no one would be turned away because of medical costs, and we were able to care for those who couldn’t afford care out-of-pocket,” said Rinne.

After having three children, Rinne needed more flexibility so she switched careers and turned to managing residential real estate properties. On the verge of retiring in 2021, Rinne and her husband, Bob, purchased their North Carolina home, and Rinne reconnected to the work she loved: hospice care. In Charleston, Rinne also has furthered her desire to help terminally ill patients by establishing the Corinne V. Sade Fund for Palliative Care at the Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing. This fund supports curricula for all levels of nursing students to understand end-of-life care.

After closing on their “mountain home,” Rinne went straight to The Hospice Home Store in Hendersonville. She spotted a dining table she knew would be perfect, and worked with the store manager, Sheryl Seigler, who helped her fill not one, but more than three full truckloads of furniture for her lovely but empty home. Later, she visited the Warehouse, where Rinne met Home Store driver, Jesse Richardson, whose expertise helped to furnish the “TV Room”. Jesse and Home Store Logistics Coordinator, Kendall Delp, made many more trips to Rinne’s home over time, delivering and sometimes rearranging furniture, always with a smile: “The Home Store’s delivery option makes purchasing large items possible, and the delivery staff makes the experience a pleasure!” says Rinne.

After all was said and done, Rinne had purchased rugs (including one large Oriental rug), couches, tables, small décor items, artwork, dishware, silverware (which had been hand curated and polished by a Home Store volunteer), outdoor furniture, futons, a refrigerator, and so much more. “What makes shopping at the Home Store so special to me is that most of the items are donated from families whose loved one was served by Four Seasons,” explains Rinne.

One of her favorite purchases is a small English tea set. The set was donated by a local gentleman whose wife passed in Four Seasons’ hospice care. With tears in his eyes, he explained to Home Store Manager, Sheryl, that donating the set was very difficult for him because it was so special to his wife; he felt like he was giving away a piece of her. The Home Store team researched the beautiful set with love, care, and respect and honored this donor and his story with a fair price. Upon hearing this, Rinne felt an immediate connection and bought it: “Knowing that I purchased something that was so important to another person, and that those proceeds are directly supporting the very care this man’s wife received, moved my heart.”

In the basement of the Home Store, Rinne’s son-in-law, Andy, was excited to find alarm clocks for every bedroom, along with many “cool tools” (as he called them). “My whole family now shops at the Home Stores. I couldn’t have had a better experience, from the managers to the drivers, to the volunteers — the Home Store has blessed me just as much as my purchases have blessed them.”

She also said, “I can only hope that others have a Four Seasons-like organization near them when they need end-of-life care. Death can be more peaceful than many believe, and this is the great value of the Four Seasons Hospice, which, importantly, is nonprofit. Community support is vital to ensure that Four Seasons will be able to continue with excellent care of patients and families for years to come.”

In between trips to the warehouse, Rinne visited the Four Seasons’ inpatient hospice center, Elizabeth House. She hopes to be able to someday use her past experiences and RN license to volunteer there.

Rinne summarizes it all, saying, “Everything about the Home Store promises to make you smile.”

View this Home Store commercial shot in Rinne’s beautiful home, now airing on WLOS, below!