Sister Francine Gries, who oversaw the creation of the state's first hospice program and directed its operations for 26 years, died last month at a Nu'uanu hospice home she helped design. She was 86.

Gries died on Jan. 24 at the Sister Maureen Keleher Center, which is operated by the St. Francis Hospice.

She grew up in Lorain, Ohio, and became affiliated with the Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse, N.Y., in 1934. She received her bachelor's degree from Boston College, and first came to the Islands in 1955 as a nurse at St. Joseph's High School in Hilo, Hawai'i.

From 1957 to 1964, Gries was a nurse supervisor at the Kalaupapa General Hospital on Moloka'i, where she was responsible for overseeing a health program for Hansen's disease patients.

From Moloka'i, Gries went to work at Mercy Hospital in Auburn, N.Y. But in 1978, then-St. Francis Hospital chief executive officer Maureen Keleher asked Gries to return the Islands.

Keleher wanted Gries to oversee the creation of the first hospice program in Hawai'i. Under her direction, the hospice program flourished and grew to become the largest in the state.

It is also the only hospice program in Hawai'i accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

Gries was adamant that St. Francis hospice homes for patients look like homes — not hospitals. When homes in Nu'uanu and 'Ewa were being built, she oversaw their design. At the time of her death, she was also involved in building a third hospice facility.

In addition to overseeing operations, Gries personally trained thousands of hospice volunteers and traveled to Asia and elsewhere to explain the hospice concept to others. The St. Francis Medical Center gave Gries two prestigious awards for excellence and achievement: one in 1985 and a second in 1992.

Services for Gries are Sunday at the St. Francis Convent. Visitation is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by a special Mass at 4 p.m.

Burial is 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 12 at the Diamond Head Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, send donations to St. Francis Hospice or the Sisters of St. Francis Retirement Fund.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.