Alumni Class Notes

Rhonda Curry ‘03 has joined Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – University of Miami Health System, as chief marketing and communications officer.

A seasoned communications executive, Curry has more than 20 years’ experience leading strategic marketing and communications in the field of cancer research, prevention, treatment and care. She brings to her new role a wealth of experience in digital content across earned, owned, and paid media. Curry leads executive and internal communication, marketing, and social media, and brings expertise in community and government relations, health care policy and delivery, and reputation management.

Curry joins Sylvester and UHealth from UCLA Health in Los Angeles, where she served as chief of communications and interim chief of marketing. Her oversight included the David Geffen School of Medicine and NCI-designated Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Curry previously led communications and marketing for NCI-designated Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in health care administration from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, and her Master of Arts in communication and leadership studies from Gonzaga University.

Baker Newman Noyes has promoted Julie Paquette ‘06 to principal in the firm’s assurance practice, specializing in the healthcare and nonprofit industries, as well as employee benefit plans. She is a involved in both internal and external trainings and enjoys teaching and mentoring her staff.

Julie graduated from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, magna cum laude, with a bachelor of science in accounting and a minor in management.

Brittany Bennett ‘20 This December, staff at Bethel Family Health Center are happy to welcome Brittany Bennett, Nurse Practitioner, to the team. Brittany earned her Master’s degree in Nursing from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Previously, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Southern Maine. Brittany draws from a solid background in family practice, pediatrics, and urgent care, and brings experience in infusion therapy.

Jameson Collins ‘17 and Emily (Kothman) Collins ‘17 were married on May 29th, 2022, at Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire. They were accompanied by many SJC Alumni to help celebrate this special couple. Congrats Jamie & Emily!

Ray Ruby ‘05 named next Executive Director of the Maine Cancer Foundation. Ray says “It is a privilege of a lifetime to be named Maine Cancer Foundation’s next executive director. I am honored to work with the team here to continue advancing the mission across the state. Maine communities have carried the burden of cancer too long, and our goal is to make sure that no one is alone in the fight.”

Lauren Granese Tigerman ‘23 has signed a book deal with Headline Eternal, an imprint of Hachette UK Publishing group, for a road trip rom-com titled Wish Lists & Road Trips. The book will be published in April of 2023.

Obituaries

Our thoughts and prayers are with family and friends of the following.

Patricia (Sullivan) Richard ‘92 passed away on January 10. Pat was raised in West Haven, Connecticut, and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. She worked her entire career at Yale New Haven Hospital in several departments, but her true passion was for her work in Pediatric Cardiology. Her love for her family was just as strong, she was always planning family gatherings to get together with her family as much as possible. Pat loved theater, music, and gardening as well.

Beth (Cannizzaro) Vigilante ‘95 of Lakeville, Massachusetts, passed away on December 15, 2022. She most recently worked as a Payroll Manager for Tessera Therapeutics in Somerville. In her youth, she competed in Irish Step Dancing, where she won many accolades and awards. Beth was an avid reader and could often be found with a book in her hand.

Nancy (Kovacic) Merisko ‘84 sadly passed away recently. Nancy worked for over 30 years in the field of geriatrics medicine, first as a nurse then as a Nursing Home Administrator and Auditor. She also taught CNA courses in several community colleges. Nancy had been a member of the Basilica of Saint Paul in Daytona Beach, FL, for 25 years and was a member of Saint Theresa’s Circle.

Mary “Connie” (Tucci) Budusky ‘89 passed away on February 3. Connie was active in volunteering in the community wherever she resided. She was a volunteer at the Dimmick Memorial Library in Jim Thorpe, the Carbon County Meals on Wheels, tax preparer for seniors in Ocean City, Maryland. Connie was also on the Board of the South Jersey Chapter of the Red Cross, and was active in Church affairs.

Judith (Hewitt) Terraciano ’76 passed away on January 23. After practicing clinical nursing in hospitals, Judi began a career in the Utilization/Medical Management at Blue Shield of Northeastern NY. Upon retiring in 2000, Judi continued working with Blue Shield periodically on special projects, as well as pursuing her passion for traveling internationally and volunteering at the Hope Club.

Sheila (Murphy) Abourjaily ‘58 passed away January 23. Sheila dedicated her life to serving others in her chosen field of nursing, continuing her education as a member of the first graduating class of nurse practitioners in the state of Maine. She took her compassion and clinical skills to sick children, helping patients on medical trips in Colombia, China, and Ukraine. The relationships she developed on these medical teams remained important to her throughout her life, and she returned several times to continue her commitment to these organizations.

Kristi A. Bennett ‘84 passed away on January 25. She specialized in Neonatal ICU nursing where she worked at Miami Children’s Hospital for several years and then at Maine Medical Center for 36 years. She loved taking care of the babies. Kristi loved to travel and was fortunate enough to visit Thailand, Greece, Scotland, England, Alaska, and many of the Caribbean Islands. She enjoyed camping and outings with friends and family.

Nancy Kavanaugh ‘87 passed away on January 23. Nancy had a long and satisfying career, working at St. Francis in labor & delivery, women’s health & psychiatry. Nancy had lived in Hartford, West Hartford & Cheshire, Connecticut, where she made friends easily. She also enjoyed bowling, skiing (both cross-country & downhill), travel, gourmet club, kayaking & most of all art. Despite her belief to the contrary, she was a gifted artist and those blessed with her paintings or drawings will cherish them forever.

Sister M. Eunice Boyd ‘64, R.S.M., 92 years, a Sister of Mercy for 73 years, died peacefully after a long illness at Sedgewood Commons, Falmouth, on December 3, 2022. She was born in Portland in 1930, the daughter of James Patrick Boyd and Margaret Frances Maloney. After graduating from St. Joseph’s Academy, Portland in 1949, she entered the Sisters of Mercy, Portland, from Holy Cross Parish, South Portland.

Sister Eunice began her studies at the College of Our Lady of Mercy, Portland, (forerunner of St. Joseph’s College, Standish), receiving her B.S. in Ed. She went on to receive her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

She started her teaching career in the following elementary schools: Sacred Heart School, Portland; Immaculate Conception School, Calais; St. Dominic’s School, Portland and St. Mary’s School, Houlton, and Cathedral High School, Portland.

In 1970, Sister M. Eunice joined the faculty of St. Joseph’s College, Standish as Associate Professor in the Science Department. During her long teaching career, her students described her as an excellent teacher. They enjoyed her style and the information she brought into the classroom from her traveling experiences.

In 1979, Sister Eunice took a sabbatical during which she traveled to Nairobi, Kenya where she was a visiting researcher at the prestigious International Louis Leakey Memorial Institute. There she was able to examine the artifacts of species from Kenyan and Tanzanian excavations. She was delighted to meet Louis Leakey himself.

In addition to her work in Nairobi, Sister studied in Germany and Egypt and as well as visiting Italy, France, and Spain. She was eager to bring her new learnings back to her students at St. Joseph’s College.

During her trip to Europe, she was particularly happy to visit Dublin, Ireland and the sites of Mother Catherine McAuley’s convents. Sister Eunice was proud of her Irish roots and always happy to learn ore about them.

Sister Eunice was a member of several professional and academic societies; The American Teilhard Association for the Future of Man, Delta Epsilon Signa (St. Joseph’s College), Pi Lambda Theta (U. of PA). She also served on the Board of Trustee of Mercy Hospital, Portland, and St. Joseph’s College, ME.

Nancy Fellers ‘75 of Eastham, MA, left us peacefully, surrounded by family and friends on October 30, 2022. She graduated from Amherst High School and went on to study at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital, graduating as an RN. She also obtained Bachelor’s degrees from St. Joseph’s College and UMASS. Nancy worked in pediatrics at Cape Cod Hospital and Orleans Convalescent Home.

Elsie-May Moreau ‘01 of Freeport, Maine, passed away on November 27, 2022. She had eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Elsie-May grew up in North Yarmouth, where she resided for 63 years with her husband Harvey Moreau Jr.

Nancy Golden Myers ‘81 of Post Falls, Idaho, passed away on Monday, November 21, 2022. She was a gifted, self-taught stained glass artist and created many beautiful Tiffany-style stained glass pieces. Nancy also loved golfing, cooking, and playing bridge. She rightfully claimed that she had visited all 50 of the United States and over 30 different countries.

Rosemarie Romito ‘17 of East Longmeadow, MA, passed away on November 29, 2022, while surrounded by her family. She will be fondly remembered for her smile and her joy for music, especially the piano (which she started to play at age 4). Rose became a concert pianist and had a deep appreciation for Chopin.

Kathy “Millie” Tillson ‘94 passed away peacefully at home with loved ones around her on November 26, 2022. She leaves behind a legacy of more than 45 years of nursing and patient care. Kathy was one of the first nationally certified nurse case managers in the country, she paved the way for future generations of nurses.

Joan M. Whiting ‘47 of Scarborough, Maine, passed away on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at the age of 93. She and her husband Bob were real estate investors in the greater Portland area. In 1975, they purchased Willowdale Golf Course in Scarborough, Maine. She loved traveling with her husband, including trips to Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, Bermuda and Aruba.

Marjorie Willer ‘83 passed away at her home in Batesville on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Marj earned her nursing diploma at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati in 1951 and was a proud member of the nursing profession for the rest of her life. Once her children were in college, she also returned to school to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. Joseph’s College in Maine. She then joined the nursing staff at Decatur County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg, ending her 30-year career there as the Vice President for Quality and Compliance.

It is with deep sadness that we share that we have learned of the passing of Dr. Colonel Jaime Solis ’93, USMC (Ret), who was a member of the Board of Trustees here at Saint Joseph’s College.

He was the son of Cuban immigrants, born in Philadelphia and raised in Los Angeles. Dr. Solis retired from Marine Corps active duty after more than 40 years of service. He was a decorated Vietnam veteran and had been awarded medals for Combat, Superior, Distinguished, Commemorative, and Meritorious Services, and individual honors by the Defense Department, the United States Marine Corps, Army, and Navy.

In 1988, while still on active duty, Doctor Solis created and incorporated Marikai Corporation as a small business, executive management firm, in McLean, Virginia.

In 1993 Doctor Solis received a Presidential Appointment from President Clinton, as an Assistant Secretary of Department of Veterans Affairs. Six months later, he resigned from Veterans to accept a Twentieth Century Fox motion picture contract, for work in three feature films; “TAD,” “Clear and Present Danger,” and “True Lies.” Doctor Solis also contracted with Fox Studios in Washington D.C. to be a regular studio actor on Fox’s weekly television series, “America’s Most Wanted.”

Judith Barone Carroll ‘80 passed away on October 15, 2022. She earned her BSN at Saint Joseph’s College and went on to work at Maine Medical Center and the University of Vermont Medical Center. Later in her career Judy entered the private medical sector, working as an office nurse, visiting nurse and medical caregiver. She loved her family, her dogs and the outdoors. Judy was known for having a zest for life and a huge smile.

Ann Milliken Ingalls Johnson ‘50 was a Mercy Hospital School for Nursing Alumna. She lived in Southern California after moving from Portland. When she passed she was living with her daughter in Glendora, CA. She had 3 children, 5 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Her husband preceded her in death, he passed away in 2020.

Ruth Miller Bertrand ‘86 passed away in October in Westlake, Ohio. Ruth earned her nursing certification from Lutheran Medical Center School of Nursing and went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts from Saint Joseph’s College. She retired in 1998 after 45 years of dedicated service as a bedside nurse. Her retirement was spent volunteering in her community and enjoying the company of her family, especially her beloved grandchildren.

Mary Rose Philbrick ‘13 of New Gloucester, Maine, passed away on December 2, 2022. Her nursing career was mostly spent at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, caring for individuals in the Emergency and Intensive Care Unit. Mary was very athletic and spent more than 30 years supervising the ski program for women at Sunday River. She also loved traveling, with her favorite being her hike of the Peruvian Inka Trail, to Machu Picchu.

Louise Woolley McCrone Wicker ‘94 passed away on December 16, 2022. She received her BS Degree in Healthcare Administration and also loved Real Estate, holding a Broker’s license. Louise was also the owner of a Treasure Trove Antique store in Jacksonville Beach, North Carolina. She treasured her friends and family at Grace Episcopal Church, as well as all her children and grandchildren.

Beverly Mae Richardson ‘85 of Rochester, Minnesota, passed away on December 19, 2022. She received her BS in Professional Arts with concentration in Psychology while working in the Psychiatric Unit at St. Mary’s hospital in Minnesota. Beverly loved to travel in her car throughout the United States with her husband. She was also a world traveler, collecting figurines and treasures to display and share with her family and friends.

Lynne M. (Wiemels) Dusek ‘87 of Troy, Ohio, passed away on January 4, 2023. She worked as a nurse for over 40 years, at many different hospitals, including St. John Westshore Hospital in Westlake, Ohio. She was very proud to be a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and loved gardening in her free time.