"What [Connie Willhite] liked about fishing was being outside, and being outdoors. It was peaceful, and serene," the hospital said.
Despite being confined to a bed, a dying veteran wanted nothing more than to go fishing one last time, and he received his final wish with the help of a dedicated hospice staff.
Read: Iraq War Veteran With No Arms Saved the Life of a Suicidal Soldier She Had Never Met
Connie Willhite, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Navy, knew he was nearing the end of his battle with colon cancer, but before he passed, he told the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center, where he had been living out the rest of his days, that he had two final wishes.
His first request was to be baptized before passing. According to Dr. Frank G. Jordan, "He wanted to cross over in good spiritual health."
His second wish, Jordan told InsideEdition, was to catch a fish.
"He loved to hunt, but mostly he loved to fish," Jordan said. "What he liked about fishing was being outside, and being outdoors. It was peaceful, and serene."
Although Willhite was bedridden, their team came up with a plan to get him into a motorized bed, and bring him to Lake Leisure, a recently restored lake on the hospital's property.
Jordan said they were originally worried he wouldn't be able to catch any fish, and hoped he would settle on enjoying the afternoon on the lake one last time.
But as fate would have it, Whillhite caught four fish in four hours — a feat he pondered often in his last days.
Read: Fishermen Use Dead Friend's Ashes to Catch 180-Pound Carp in His Memory
"What's amazing was the positive effect it had on him as he was waiting to pass away," Jordan told InsideEdition.com. "Of course, he was dejected and a little depressed for the last few days of his life, but he was ready to go."
Willhite died three days later, on August 29.
Watch: Over 100 Strangers Gather to Honor Korean War Veteran Who Died With No Family
