Joan B. Stout's Obituary
Joan Beard Stout, born in Port Angeles on July 11, 1927 to Elmer and Elinor (Olts) Beard, passed away May 7, 2013, at 11:52 p.m. with her daughter, Barbara Hiatt, and granddaughters, Angella Hartung and Alicenia Steele, holding and comforting her.
A graduate of Clover Park High School, Joan went on to study nursing at Deaconess Hospital, graduating in 1947. After becoming a registered nurse, Joan returned to the Tacoma area, working as an instructor of obstetrical nursing at Tacoma General Hospital. Always inquisitive as well as determined to achieve, Joan stretched herself and entered the Pacific Lutheran College’s School of Nursing. She was awarded her Bachelor of Science in Nursing on January 27, 1956. Joan was a proud recipient of a Federal scholarship that allowed her to be one of the first 100 nurses in the United States to earn a Master’s Degree. While studying at the University of Washington, she was recruited by the World Health Organization to be a professor of nursing at the University of Alexandria, Egypt. As a full professor at the age of 32, Joan enjoyed the responsibility of establishing the curriculum and teaching methods for Egypt’s first four-year school of nursing. In 1962 Joan, with her young daughter Barbara and mother Elinor, returned to the United States and embarked on her career with the Veterans Administration (VA). Beginning as a ward supervisor at the Chillicothe, Ohio hospital, Joan worked her way up the career ladder, retiring in 1987 as Chief of Nursing Services at the American Lake VA Hospital. During her career with the VA she was assigned to hospitals in Livermore, California; Boise, Idaho; Topeka, Kansas; and Beckley, West Virginia; before making her way back home to Tacoma to be with cousins and friends. She left her mark at each of these hospitals with improved nursing procedures and creative life-saving techniques. Family lore credits her with the creation of the “crash cart”. When defibrillators became portable, Joan borrowed a cart from the building maintenance crew, loaded it with a defibrillator and all the necessary medications and instruments needed to treat a heart attack victim. She named her portable creation a crash cart because of the sound it made when rushing through the swinging ward doors. While the same creative use of this newly developed portable device undoubtedly took place at many hospitals throughout the United States at the same time, Joan was recognized by the Livermore VA Director for her ingenuity.
In retirement, she spent many enjoyable hours volunteering with the Washington State Historical Society's Research Department, researching and cataloging hundreds of artifacts. She was honored as their Volunteer of the Year in 2007. She also spent hundreds of hours doing volunteer work for the Group Health Cooperative, an organization she believed represented the best possible business model for delivery of quality medical care to a community. Her love of travel led Joan to have many enjoyable tours, both national and international, with her cousins Margi and Ellen, and friends Betty and Charlie.
A voracious reader, inquisitive intellect, and continual student, Joan enjoyed traveling, taking classes, watching major league baseball, spending time with friends, and being involved in social activism, especially efforts that involved the improvement of women’s lives. A collector of art and books, Joan defined her life through actions grounded in respectful intentions. Joan made a positive and lasting impression on almost everyone she met.
A celebration of Joan’s life will be held at a later date. For those who wish to honor Joan, the family asks that donations be made in her name to the Washington State Historical Society.
The family wishes to thank the health care staff at Franke Tobey Jones for their loving and devoted care of Joan for the past six and a half-years.
Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home. Please sign the online guestbook at www.mountainviewtacoma.com.
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