Joyce Crane

We take a moment of reflection on a life well lived and dedicated to the improvement of nursing care. Joyce Crane of Ann Arbor, Michigan passed away peacefully on January 10, 2024 at University of Michigan hospital, where her influence of quality nursing started many years ago.

Joyce, born in New York, was raised by Joseph and Genevieve Jones Crane. She just celebrated her 91st birthday weeks ago on December 22, 2023.

Dedicated to the nursing profession, Joyce graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Adelphi University, a Masters in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Michigan.

Joyce was an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Michigan School of Nursing from 1970-1980, where she was instrumental in creating one of the first Nursing Ph.D. programs in the country and, along with partner Jo Anne Horsley, created the Conduct and Utilization of Research in Nursing (CURN) project.

The CURN project, led by Horsley and Crane and supported by a dedicated project team, became a ground breaking model that changed nursing practice across the country and led to changes still used today in nursing school curriculum to help students understand the importance of practice guided by research. The CURN project provided sustained recognition of nursing research at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. After 10 years at the University of Michigan, Joyce was recruited to Oregon Health Sciences School of Nursing where, as a Professor of Nursing, she and Horsley continued their evidence-based research. Joyce retired from Oregon Health Sciences in 1997.

In 2005, Joyce and Jo Anne returned to Ann Arbor to take advantage of everything the city and the University of Michigan had to offer. They joined the University Commons residential community where they thoroughly enjoyed and participated in the intellectual and academic environment of their neighbors.

Joyce loved to travel, visit museums, attend lectures and athletic events as well as collect art. She was an avid U-M sports fan, attending football, basketball and women’s softball games. She lived to watch U-M win another football National Championship on January 9, 2024.

Mourning her loss are nursing community friends across the country, University Commons friends and neighbors, and beyond. Joyce is predeceased by her parents, brother and longtime friend and partner, Jo Anne Horsley.

Memorial gifts made be made to the Jo Anne Horsley Faculty Research Fund, established in 2018 by Joyce and Jo Anne to support faculty research at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

As we mourn the loss of Joyce, we also celebrate the rich legacy she leaves behind. Joyce’s life exemplifies the transformative power of a nurse dedicated to teaching and research, leaving an enduring impact on the nursing profession and those who follow in her footsteps.