Louise W. Rounds, of Warren, dies at 86

0


[ad_1]

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Enlarge +

Mrs. Louise W. Rounds, 86, of Barker Lane, Warren, RI, passed away on Saturday December 18th at The Cove at Grace Barker in Warren surrounded by her loving family.

Married to the late Fredric A Rounds who predeceased her in 2011, after being married for 55 years.

Born in Wakefield, RI to Donald and Harriet Willard, Louise has lived in Rhode Island for most of her life, although for a brief stint in seventh grade she was “surrounded by cornfields” in New Jersey. rural. His father, a soldier, was stationed in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Homesick for the shore and beaches of Rhody, Louise was not a fan of this isolated region, although she loved having a dog named Mike. Eventually, her family returned to North Providence, Rhode Island. As a preteen, Louise ended up living with her grandmother in high school. Her grandmother was a strong loving force in her life and from her, Louise acquired a penchant for gardening, as well as a long-standing affinities for reading, sewing, and Louise’s eventual profession. Louise had told her family that her grandmother “was not a nurse, but looked a lot like a nurse”. As she progressed through high school, Louise’s persistence and determination became deeply rooted characteristics. In high school, for example, she was an avid reader and learner and when she encountered resistance when she wanted to take extra classes such as science and math that girls didn’t normally take, “no” was not the answer Louise wanted to hear. Said Louise: “I have worn them out by being persistent.”

A longtime and dedicated Episcopal, Louise was part of the original group of young men and women who worked to clear land and restore buildings at the Episcopal Conference Center (ECC) in Pascoag, RI in 1950-1951. It was there, at the age of 16, that she met her future husband Freddy. After graduating from North Providence High School in 1953, Louise enrolled in the nursing program at the Rhode Island Hospital School of Nursing. She often recalled memories of those formative years: sitting in her student nurse uniform on a bus at 4:30 am for the Roger Williams housing project, syringes jingling in a black bag; A student nurse who lied about a patient’s temperature and was promptly kicked out the same day (“That was an educational spark,” Louise muses.); Hanging out with Freddy at Howard Johnson’s, sipping a cart of ginger ale, racing before a 10 p.m. curfew to the student nurses’ house at RI Hospital. True to her persistence, determination and passion for learning, Louise was one of 40 remaining students from a class that started with 80 when she graduated in the fall of 1956.

Louise and Freddy began their life together in August 1956, moving to Bristol, and soon she and Fred were raising a family that would grow to three children. She followed her passion for her nursing career and her lifelong passion for learning and proudly obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Salve Regina University in 1976. Following her nursing career in positions at Hattie Ide Chaffee Nursing Home, RI Veterans Home, Rhode Island Hospital, she ended her long career when she retired from St Elizabeth Nursing Home in Bristol in 2005. As her children grew older, The intrigue of Louise’s life advanced towards her passion for gardening and volunteering in many organizations. Louise has volunteered locally and often, helping elementary students at Guiteras and Colt Andrews Schools in Bristol improve their reading skills. She has been a long-time active communicator at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Bristol, often volunteering. She also enjoyed volunteering at the Audubon Education Center, Blithewold Gardens and Trinity Repertory, and PPAC as an opener of many plays and shows. But her most passionate and enjoyable sewing and quilting activity was what she truly blossomed in her later years, creating many wonderful quilts that her family will cherish for many years to come.

Louise also leaves the legacy of following in her grandmother’s footsteps by being an active and devoted grandmother to her seven grandchildren.

After her husband passed away and entered a period where her physical capacities were somewhat impaired by health issues, in 2012 Louise moved to The Willows Assisted Living in Warren. She went on to be a dedicated gardener, avid reader, and passionate seamstress and quilter. Always passionate and knowledgeable about her own care and health, Louise has retained the keen sense and attitude of her nursing education. She often referred to the fact that sometimes she had to “take off her nurse’s hat”.

She is survived by her children, Brad Rounds and her partner Frederick Graham, Thomas Rounds and his wife Kirsten and Martha Rounds, as well as her seven grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her brother Peter Kellogg Willard in 1988.

Her children would like to thank all of the amazing staff at The Willows in Warren, especially director Paula Lage, for the dedicated care they have given Louise over the years, this was her home. We would also like to thank Dr Peter Barth and all the nurses at the Fain Cancer Center at Miriam Hospital for their many years of care. And in her final months, the team at HopeHealth Hospice and Grace Barker’s Creek staff, as well as her private caregivers from Access Health Care were her additional caregivers.

Parents and friends are invited to attend a Requiem Eucharistic Service on Saturday January 15 at 10:00 am in St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Hope and Church Streets Bristol, RI.

Interment will follow at North Burial Ground, Hope St., Bristol.

Visiting hours are respectfully omitted.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Willows Activity Fund c / o Grace Barker Health 54 Barker Ave, Warren, RI 02885 or HopeHealth Hospice & Palliative Care, 1085 No. Main Street Providence, RI 02904.

To send sympathy gifts to the family or to plant a tree in memory of Louise W. Rounds, please visit the Tribute Shop.


[ad_2]

Share.

Comments are closed.