80, of Breakneck Hill Road, died Saturday, August 4, 2018, at the Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center, Providence, surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of the late J. Kenneth Beezer, M.D.
Born in Central Falls, and raised in the Fairlawn section of Pawtucket, she was a daughter of the late Francis and Margaret (Shorrock) Duffy. She had lived in North Providence for over twenty years, before moving to Lincoln twenty years ago.
Patricia was a Nursing Professor at the Rhode Island College School of Nursing for twenty-five years, retiring in 2009. She earned a Diploma in Nursing from the Rhode Island Hospital School of Nursing, Class of 1959; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing; and a Master of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. She was a graduate of Pawtucket West High School.
She was a member and three term past president of Delta Upsilon At-Large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing, and was one of the founding members of their local chapters at U.R.I. and R.I.C. She was a member of the American Nurses Association, and a member and past president of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association.
She enjoyed playing golf and was a member of Kirkbrae Country Club, Lincoln, for over forty years, where she was also a member and past president of the Kirkbrae Women's Golfing Association, and a past member of the Rhode Island Women's Golfing Association. She loved the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.
She is survived by her daughter, Kelly Ann Scott, J.D., and her husband Steven W. Scott, of Lake Worth, Florida; two sons, Michael F. Sugrue of Lincoln, and Patrick T. Sugrue of Loudon County, Virginia; five step children, Mark Beezer of Jamestown, John Beezer of Colorado, Jane Beezer of Newport, Carole Sharp of Colorado, and David Beezer of California; one brother, Edward F. Duffy, and his wife Julie, of Palm Coast, Florida, and Middletown; three grandchildren, Ryan M. Sugrue, Ireland R. Sugrue, and Isabel C. Sugrue; and several nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Beverly Golemba, Ph.D.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory to St. Ambrose Church, P.O. Box 67, Albion, R.I. 02802, or to Sigma Theta Tau, Delta Upsilon At-Large Chapter, c/o Rhode Island College School of Nursing, 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence, RI 02908-1940, would be appreciated. For directions and guest book, please visit www.bellowsfuneralchapel.com

In Memory of Rachel Rotkovitch (May 20, 1918 - September 8, 2011)

East Providence, RI- Rachel Rotkovich, 96, passed away peacefully at home, on September 8, surrounded by her loving daughters, Alona Rotkovich (RI) and Irit Librot (Norwich).

Rachel was a remarkable woman ahead of her time. Born in Poland, as a young woman she traveled to Palestine where she took a job as a hotel maid in Tiberius. One of her duties was the therapeutic bathing of a rheumatoid guest that she performed so well that she was encouraged to pursue nursing- a profession previously unknown to her. Quickly learning English from a Polish- English dictionary, Rachel entered the nursing program at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon. Upon graduation, she joined the staff of the prestigious 500-bed King Fouad Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt, and within six months, at the age of 26, became the “Matron” or Director of Nursing, appearing and dining frequently at the side of King Faeouk and other dignitaries. In 1945, she traveled to the United States and received her BS in nursing from Washington Missionary College (currently Columbia Union College/Washington Adventist University) in 1947. With the newly forms Sate of Israel in 1948, Rachel enlisted there as the Director of Nursing at an army hospital. There she was reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Ajzik. Their wedding was the first between two soldiers in Israel. Rachel’s dedication to enhancing the nursing profession took her back to the United States in the 1960s, where she earned a Master’s in Nursing Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. She then worked as director of nursing at Long Island Jewish Hospital, as vice president of nursing at Yale New Haven Hospital, and as a consultant to the US Surgeon General for eight years in the 1980s. With her determined efforts at bold innovation, Rachel helped to change an entrenched and resistant health-care delivery system in the United States. She pioneered the profession nursing model- one nurse responsible for the total care of the patient, eliminating the disjointed team approach. She eliminated the white starched uniforms and created Unit Service Management, which clearly defined nursing and non-nursing tasks and permitted nurses to spend more time with their patients. This new model vastly improved the quality of nursing care while reducing budget costs. Rachel’s contributions to the nursing profession are commemorated in the Nursing Hall of Fame at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Her exciting and epoch memoirs will be published shortly for all to read.

Rachel is survived by her loving daughters, their husbands Paul Beaudette and Steve Librot, and her grandchildren whom she adored, Adam, Benjamin, Jesse, Hannah, Aaron, David, and Abigail. A memorial service will be held at the Sugarman-Sinai Memorial Chapel, Providence, RI on September 18.

In Memory of Barbara L Tate RN., Ed.D (August 6, 1921 - May 26, 2011)

Louise Tate, R.N., Ed.D., 89, the former Dean of the College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island died peacefully at her home in Peace Dale, RI, on May 26, 2011. Dr. Tate was Dean of from 1969 to 1984. During her tenure White Hall was designed and built to house the College of Nursing. Dr. Tate supervised the development of the Master’s in Nursing program and laid the foundation for the PhD program. She encouraged the College’s efforts to form a chapter of Sigma Theta Tau and in 1980 Delta Upsilon was charted as the 114^th chapter of Sigma Theta Tau.

Dr. Tate graduated from Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing, Montclair, NJ in 1942; obtained her B.A. from Elmira College, Elmira, NY in 1945; and earned a M.A. in 1951 and a Doctorate of Education in 1961 from Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Tate dedicated her long career to the advancement of nursing and nursing education. She was the director of Research and Studies Service at the National League for Nursing, New York, NY; editor of Nursing Research; research associate for the Division of Nursing at Teachers College, Columbia University; associate director of the School of Nursing, St. Luke’s Hospital, New York, NY; taught nursing at the College of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, the School of Nursing, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD; and was an R.N. at Mountainside Hospital, Montclair, NJ.

Among her many accomplishments Dr. Tate was the recipient of two Fulbright Scholarships in 1977 and 1983. She authored and co-authored numerous papers and articles for National League for Nursing, Rhode Island Medical Journal, American Journal of Nursing, International Nursing Review, Nursing Research, and Nursing Outlook; served as project director of a number of studies for National League for Nursing, the Florence Nightingale Foundation, and Columbia University; and as consultant to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

She served on the Board of Directors for Nurses Educational Funds, Inc.; Board of Trustees for Rhode Island Health Services Research, Inc.; Editorial Review Board for Nursing and Health Care; Executive Committee to New England Council on Higher Education in Nursing; and South County Hospital Board of Directors.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the “Barbara L. Tate Scholarship in Nursing” c/o URI Foundation, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881 or to South County Hospital, Development Office, 100 Kenyon Avenue, Wakefield, RI 02879.