Our History

In 1975, young Stillwater wife and mother Judith Mueller Karman began a battle for her life. Her assailant? Breast cancer. A former art teacher, Karman’s experiences as a patient with a life-threatening illness spurred her to go back to school for a master’s degree in hospital administration. Her goal was to help patients and their families who were facing critical medical situations. After working in intensive care and the emergency room, she went to work for Stillwater Medical Center as a patient representative, connecting people with resources and support outside of the medical staff.

“She was very much into hugs, holding hands and knowing them as people,” her husband, Tom Karman, has been quoted as saying. “Her first concern was that people were treated in a way that would be helpful to them.”

On April 15 of 1979, Judith Karman, age 39, succumbed to the cancer that had plagued her for four years. Before she died, she asked her friends and family to establish a memorial fund in her name that would be used to help people learn to give emotional support to individuals in critical condition and their families.

Her friends and family listened. From that memorial, Judith Karman Hospice was born. Today, more than 25 years later, it stands as a testament not only of her loved ones’ regard for her, but also of her love for her community.

Since 1979, JKH, the state’s oldest hospice, has served literally thousands of families in the Stillwater area, providing top-quality medical care through the end of life, and bereavement services beyond.

Under the direction of inaugural executive director, Linda Wells, JKH was the first hospice to be licensed in the state and the first to be Medicare certified.

915 S. Main St. Stillwater, OK 74076 (405) 377-8012 Fax: (405) 624-9007 Email: hospice@judithkarmanhospice.org