Floris May Altman

Floris was quickly recognized as a brilliant young girl at a very young age. She couldn’t wait to start school and would frequently follow her older brother, Chris to attend elementary classes with him. She loved school and excelled from the very beginning.

The Summers family moved to the USA in the late 1950s when she was 17 years old. Floris quickly assimilated into her new life in New York City. She worked double shifts as a nurse’s aid while attending nursing school. She helped her father and along with her other older siblings helped bring younger family members and her mother to the States.

She got her nursing degree from Fordham Hospital School of Nursing in 1961. A year later in 1962, she went into the Air Force Base looking for a job and during the application process met the love of her life, Robert D. Altman. In 1964, they got married in New York City in her parents’ house. Robert and Floris gave birth to their first child, Bobby Joel Altman on July 13, 1967 at Selfridge Air Force Base in Detroit Michigan. In 1968, Robert retired form the Air Force Base and decided to move to the south of France. Two years later, on September 13, 1970, they had their second child, Hilary Lee Altman, in Cagnes- Sur -Mer, France. While the Altman’s lived in France, Floris took care of the children while her husband traveled for businesses and occasionally held several nursing jobs. Floris and the kids enjoyed traveling with him thru out Europe as well as entertain friends and family visiting from the US.

The family was grief-stricken when Robert became ill from terminal Colon cancer and died in France in 1990. Both children were already attending school in the U.S. so Floris moved back from France to Charlottesville, Virginia to be close to family. Despite the new hardship and challenges, she got herself back up and started working full time at the University of Virginia Hospital as a staff nurse on 3 west. She worked there for 20 years straight as a highly respected and loved nurse. She was a mentor for many young graduates who speak about her skills, her no nonsense attitude and joyful self until this day. She spoke up for her patients when she needed to, but also never hesitated to speak up and defend herself and the younger nurses when patients became demanding or overbearing. The patient reps would come to the floor to speak to Floris but were always very amused by her straightforward and honest comments.

Floris loved her children and grandchildren to no end. They were her pride and joy and the minute she spoke about any of them her voice changed to a joyful tone. She was selfless and very kind. She opened her home to family and friends. She had few friends but those she had were very devoted and had an unwavering loyality to her to the end. She had an incredible talent for listening and was specially gifted at giving one advice without being overbearing. She had a very unique gift at pinpointing a problem and coining a name that sticks. Many of us probably have one or two that we all recall.

After retiring from her job, Floris spent her days either visiting her children and grandchildren or staying in her own home enjoying her love for reading, watching MSNBC, All My Children and Judge Judy and talking to dear friends and family. She loved her privacy, was feisty, independent, and did not want anyone to feel pity for her. She had a slight decline in her health but remained steadfast on her wish to remain in her beautiful home in Charlottesville, Virginia. She died peacefully in her sleep on March 31, 2016 of natural causes. We are grateful for the 76 beautiful years she gave us. She will be missed dearly. She is survived by her children Bobby and Hilary Altman, her grandchildren, Jonathan and Joelle Altman, Mayanne and Indiana Fuller and her siblings.