After a long but courageous battle with breast cancer, Barbara Joan Sims Whitney passed away on June 6, 2018 at her home in Roseville, CA. She is survived by her husband, Paul Grant Whitney, her sisters Merilyn Robinson, Patricia Stonick, Margaret Mortenson and husband Max, stepdaughter Cindy Whitney and son, Shawn Darghty, and numerous nieces and nephews, who all loved her dearly. Barbara was born in Westwood, Lassen County, CA on November 16, 1946, the youngest daughter of Gladys Rose Bews and Merrill Sims. She grew up in Citrus Heights, adjacent to the C-Bar-C Ranch. She graduated from San Juan High School in June 1964, and from Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing in 1968. After successfully passing the test to become a registered nurse, she worked at Kaiser Hospital on Morse Avenue. She returned to school at Brigham Young University UT, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in August, 1970. After working in Salt Lake City as Head Nurse at Valley West Hospital, she returned to California where she worked for six months at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Huntington Beach. She then returned to Kaiser Hospital on Morse Avenue and worked the night shift. Barbara completed the requirements to become a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner at CSU Chico in 1980, and became certified shortly thereafter. In 1982, Barbara became Employee Health Nurse at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento. She continued her studies at CSU Chico, attaining her Master’s Degree in August 1985.
In November, 1983, Barbara married Paul, and became stepmother to Cindy, and later grandmother to Cindy’s son, Shawn. Barbara and Paul were devoted companions and best friends for the rest of her life. When she was forty-five, Barbara was diagnosed with breast cancer. She did her best with determination and the most current treatment at the time, having a radical mastectomy and then participating in a research study. After being declared cancer free, Barbara went to work for the California Community College system at the State level where she awarded federally and state funded grants to colleges that successfully submitted grant proposals to expand and improve vocational and economic development programs. Too, she wrote and lobbied for state legislation to expand and improve vocational and nursing education. She was Dean of the Economic Development program for the California Community System for two years. Barbara loved her job and loved working with the directors of the various educational programs she oversaw. She most especially loved interacting with students and nurses who had completed their nursing programs; she truly enjoyed seeing the products of her efforts.
Barbara was the youngest of the four girls who were known for most of their lives as the Sims girls. The sisters were always very close and were with her as she left this life.
The viewing will be Thursday 6/14/2018 @ 7:30 PM at Lambert Funeral Home
The funeral service will be at Friday 6/15/2018 The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints located at 211 Estates Dr. Roseville, CA 95678 at 10:30am
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