They’re carpenters, educators, fishermen and housewives, and the folks at South Coast Hospice & Palliative Care Services understand that people in their last days, weeks, months or years have stories to tell.

“Many people ask, ‘How can you work with death and dying?’” said Executive Director Linda Furman Grile, who has worked at the hospice since it opened 23 years ago. “In the beginning, I may have thought that way. But then you realize you’re helping them live.

“There’s a whole lot of living that takes place when people are dying,” she said. “That’s what inspired us to do the legacy book.”

She said the book will be not just about the people who died, but the ones who have lived on.

“We wanted to have, in our community, a legacy book for them,” Furman Grile said. “There’s (the patient’s) story, but there might, as part of the story, be how their lives impacted family members.”

Furman Grile and Pam Dennis, outreach support manager at the hospice, are putting together not just stories, but a scrapbook of sorts — photos, recipes, patterns, advice and quips.

“One granddaughter had ‘10 things I learned from Flora,’” Furman Grile said.

Dennis said other patients contributed poems and recipes, such as one for fried corn. She recalled a certain recipe tip.

“Put a vanilla bean in sugar and when your recipe calls for a teaspoon of sugar, you just need a pinch,” she said.

The pair said the idea for the book was started after a comment from a social worker, Amanda Whitlatch.

“She talked about the importance of people wanting to share their lives,” Furman Grile said.

So, a couple of years ago, Dennis started doing patient interviews.

“It’s interesting,” Dennis said. “People kind of seem amazed when you’re willing to listen to them. One of the things you find is people want to just find someone who will listen.”

During these talks, Dennis found each one of them had an interesting tale — from the most ordinary accounts to unusual anecdotes. She already has several stories about familiar members of the community, such as, Edward “Doc” Stevenson and Charles Atwater. Dennis was recently scheduled to interview longtime resident Nancy Devereux.

“She’s going to tell me about her flying lessons,” Dennis said, laughing jovially.

The average time a person needs hospice care is 45 days, according to Furman Grile, but they have some under their care for two to four years, and others who go hours and days. Hospice care involves patient contact with hospice and social workers, a chaplain, home health aides, doctors and medical personnel.

“It’s proven, if you add support to people’s lives, that they live longer,” Furman Grile said. “A lot of the times you find people want to find meaning for what’s happening. If you take away all the support, they can spiral down.

“They say, ‘I’m in the hospice and I’m supposed to be dying.’ We say, ‘No. You’re supposed to be living,’” she said.

Dennis and Furman Grile are hoping for help from current patients and community members who had a family member or friend who was helped through South Coast Hospice.

“Hospice stories about the luster and the legacy that they want to give us, that they want to share,” Furman Grile said. “For those who desire to share,” she added.

The two also are holding a “name that book contest,” in which they are asking for help in choosing a name for the book. The winner will receive a $100 gift certificate for the South Coast Hospice Thrift Store. The tentative cover has a butterfly on it signifying a “Zorba the Greek” story, “The Butterfly,” in which a butterfly is hatched early and then dies. “Each in their own time” is the book’s subtitle.

To submit a story, poem, recipe or other piece of information, or a title for the book, those interested can call 269-2986, e-mail sch@schospice.org; or visit South Coast Hospice at 1620 Thompson Road, Coos Bay.

Although the cost of the paperback book has not been determined yet, proceeds will go to South Coast Hospice, a nonprofit organization.