Dorothea M. Milbrandt passed away on July 9, 2016 at the age of 88 at The Willows at Okemos surrounded by close friends. She was born March 22, 1928 in Dubuque, Iowa to Frank Milbrandt and Anna Kresser. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Army Corporal Frank William who was killed in the Korean Conflict and her dear friend, Tish MacDonald. She was a highly regarded nurse leader at the local, national and international levels. She graduated from the basic nurses training program at Holy Family Hospital, Manitowoc Wisconsin. She then earned a bachelor's degree in nursing St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo. followed by a master's degree in nursing from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. She
valued higher education for nurses throughout her career. She was relentless in urging and encouraging all nurses to earn advanced nursing degrees. Pat McKenna, her nursing colleague and friend of many decades, describes Dorothea as the "Florence Nightingale of Advanced Nursing Education". She was relentless in encouraging all nurses to earn advanced nursing degrees in the service of high quality patient care.
During her long nursing career she held positions in nursing practice, education and administration. She began her career as a staff nurse and then served in increasing leadership positions at hospitals in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Ohio. Her role as a nurse educator began at the School of Nursing at Good Samaritan Hospital in Zanesville, Ohio where she was Chairperson for the Medical Surgical Nursing course until she joined the faculty at Michigan State University School of Nursing in 1968. She remained at MSU until her appointment as Vice President for Nursing and Director of Nursing Services at Ingham Medical Center, Lansing MI in 1975, where she remained until 1991. At Ingham Medical Center, she led innovations which included instituting the Problem Oriented Patient Record system and developed interdisciplinary patient care teams. During this time, she also taught nursing leadership courses at Lansing
Community College from 1996 to 1999.
Throughout her career she was an active leader in professional nursing organizations. Most notably, she served at President of the Michigan Nurses Association (1979-1983). She was also the Association's Executive Director from 2002 to 2003. She was instrumental in founding the Registered Nurses Association in Michigan for professional nurses which became the American Nurses Association Michigan affiliate in 2011. In 1993, she was appointed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as one of the first nationally qualified Magnet Hospital Recognition appraisers to evaluate institutions for excellence in nursing care. The American Nurses Association Michigan recognizes Dorothea’s nursing contributions through the annual Dorothea Milbrandt Nurse Leader Award. Dorothea was devoted to her Catholic faith. She was a founding member of St. Martha's Catholic Church in Okemos where she was active in numerous programs and projects. She served on the Education Commission which was responsible for all aspects of religious education in the parish. Her presence in the parish will continue through the stained glass church window entitled, The Valiant Woman, which she funded.
Dorothea will be remembered by her friends and colleagues for her relentless pursuit of excellence, futuristic and innovative thinking, professionalism, loyalty, faithfulness to principles, and religious commitment. We wish to thank the staff of The Willows at Okemos and Residential Hospice for the devoted and loving care given to Dorothea.
The funeral mass celebrating Dorothea's life will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July14, 2016 at St. Martha Parish, 1100 West Grand River Ave., Okemos, MI with visitation held one hour prior to the service . Interment will follow at 2:00 p.m. in Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Williamston. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Martha Parish.
The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 1730 East Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.greastlansing.com.
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