When Stevie Terry and Traci Hamilton put on their badges each morning and prepare for work at Stillwater Medical Center, they feel the spirit of their Grandmother Wanda Comer with them. In fact, it is this feeling of coming home that led them each back to Stillwater to pursue their careers.
“I absolutely feel the spirit of our grandparents here in Stillwater,” Hamilton said. “I think that’s what brought us back. OSU reminds us of our grandfather and SMC our grandmother. If we stay close, we feel close to them.”
Wanda Comer was originally from the Tyler, Texas, area and came to Stillwater in 1954 when her husband, Alva Gene Comer of Hominy, Okla., became an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University. For the next twenty years, she stayed at home to raise her children and instill in them the importance of giving back to your community. She exemplified this through a variety of service roles over the years.
In addition to being active in her church, she volunteered at Stillwater Medical Center for over a decade and served as president of the volunteer association during the groundbreaking of the new hospital.
“Our grandma delivered our mom [Vicki Comer Daves] in the old hospital building, and I delivered my daughter in the new hospital. It was a full-circle moment for our family,” Terry said.
Terry and Hamilton each saw volunteering as a vital part of life growing up. They remember fondly Hamilton’s years of being a candy striper at the Blackwell Hospital. And while they didn’t set out to begin their careers in healthcare, the more they followed their passions, the greater the draw was to the field.
Hamilton has a master’s degree in child development from Oklahoma State University and has been a HealthySteps contract employee at Stillwater Medical Center since October 2016. She said she enjoys helping families and mothers feel supported as they navigate decisions when it comes to child development.
Terry earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Oklahoma State University before getting a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. She worked in dermatology for 13 years, including a stent with Metcalf Dermatology, where she was first exposed to the culture on the inside of Stillwater Medical Center. She is now the clinic manager for Stillwater Pediatrics, working beside her sister to ensure families have the care and support they need to raise healthy children.
“Stillwater Medical has an amazing culture,” Terry said. “Coming back to SMC has truly felt like coming home. I have been especially impressed with how much the Stillwater Pediatrics and Internal Medicine/Pediatrics providers and staff care for their patients. I’ve seen them go to great lengths just to help people get a ride to the doctor. We’re all on the same team, and we’re rooting for our patients to get the best care possible.”
The sisters say they are grateful to have found careers that give them a purpose and help connect them to the memory of their grandmother, who passed away in January 2013.
“It’s been 10 years and her absence is still very palpable,” Terry said.
“Her legacy is to give back to your community, to serve others, to show a caring face and to be kind. That’s what we’re trying to pass on to our children as well,” Hamilton said.
