Brighton, NY: Passed away on January 4, 2017 at eighty years of age. She was a lifelong nurse educator, receiving her Doctorate in Nursing Education from Columbia University. She founded and directed the graduate program in nursing education at St. Joseph College in West Hartford, CT, from where she retired as a full professor. Virginia was a leading proponent of the central role of caring in nursing during the modern era; was the author of The Communication of Caring in Nursing, and editor of Many Voices: Toward Caring Culture in Healthcare and Healing; and gave national and international lectures in the field of nursing education. She supervised numerous nursing students toward their advanced degrees. Virginia is survived by her brother, Allan Knowlden, her two daughters, Gail Eddy and Lyn Parsons, and her son, Alex Paciorkowski, as well as four grandchildren.
Virginia’s life will be celebrated in a memorial service for her family at the Lamberton Conservatory on January 18, 2017 at 4 p.m.
Virginia was passionate about addressing the global nursing shortage, therefore donations can be made in lieu of flowers to Partners in Health.