IRENE BURNSIDE: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Deceased Name: IRENE BURNSIDE
Oct. 4, 1923-April 12, 2003
Irene Burnside, 79, of El Cajon died Saturday. She was born in Minnesota and was a professor of gerontological nursing.
Mrs. Burnside served in the Army nurse corps during World War II. She was a member of Foothills United Methodist Church, La Mesa, and the Zoological Society of San Diego.
Survivors include her daughter, Tonya Thompson of Elk Grove; sons, Mark of Los Gatos and Clark of El Cajon; sister, Lee Turner of Denton, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Services: 1 p.m. tomorrow, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa.
Donations: Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden Fund, c/o Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Arrangements: El Camino Erickson-Anderson Chapel.
BURNSIDE: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Friday, April 25, 2003
Deceased Name: BURNSIDE
BURNSIDE, IRENE R. MORTENSON Oct. 4, 1923 to April 12, 2003 Irene Renay Mortenson Burnside. Beloved mother, precious grandmother, renowned pioneer in gerontological nursing, and gifted flower arranger died after a long, courageous battle with leukemia. Born to Walter and Rebecca Mortenson in Grove City, Minn. Graduated from Litchfield High, then to Ancker School of Nursing in St. Paul, Minn. She joined the Cadet Nurse Corps in 1944, upon graduation she joined the U. S. Army Nurse Corp; served in WWII in Japan. There she met L. Dean Burnside, whom she married in 1946--her wedding dress made of a WWII parachute--in Denver, Colo. While raising a family and working as a nurse she obtained her degree in fine arts, focus on interior decorating. In 1957 the family moved to the S.F. bay area. Again, she returned to school--receivng and MS in Nursing from the University of Calif. at S.F. As she taught psychiatric nursing she became dedicated to the study of the aged. (She attributed this to her grandfather, Mike, her staunch support through a childhood filled with loss.) Her work in aging led her to join the faculty at The Ethel P. Andrus gerontology center at Univ. of Southern California in 1970. She pursued her dedication to the study of the aged--she lectured, and consulted in gerontological nursing; she was widely recognized throughout much of the world for her research and clinical expertise in the psycho-social nursing care of the aged; particularly in reminiscing. In 1990, after relocation to Texas, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of Ph.D; she received special recognition from President Bush, the commencement speaker at Univ. of Texas that year. She was a prolific writer and wrote in a way that was meaningful and useful to all levels of care givers. She published 7 books, and many, many articles in highly respected journals in her field. Her awards were numerous--to list a few--honored member of American Nurse's Assoc, a fellow in the American Assoc, of Nursing, a frequent presenter and fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society of Aging. She was selected to give the commemorative address at the 50th anniversary of the Cadet Nurse Corps as its most distinguished graduate. As the leukemia stole her health these past 15 years she devoted her time to her family; she took them on cruises and Rv trips; she always remembered a birthday with a party. She lived in her own condo, went to flower arranging classes, and was devoted to the San Diego Padres, and loved to be near nature. Her final work was the creation of the Bereavement Committee at her church which created the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dean, in 1970. She is survived by her three children, Mark Burnside of Los Gatos, Tonya Thompson of Elk Grove, Ca., and Clark Burnside of El Cajon, her five grandchildren, Sally Burnside(UCSD sophomore), Chad Burnside (SDSU freshman), Katelynn Burnside (Crest 1st grader), Zoe Thompson (J. Kerr 7th grade) and Zachary Thompson (R. Case 4th grade), sister Lee Turner of Denton, Texas, niece Rene Scott, D.D.S. currently serving in Kuwait, and nephew Jay Scott of Houston. As she reflected on her own death, she wrote ....."perhaps after I've gone, you can say 'Goodnight, Irene' to a star in the sky to remember me." She requested that memorial gifts be sent to the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Bl. La Mesa, Ca 91941.
Irene Burnside expert worked to improve nursing care of elderly : Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Monday, April 28, 2003
Deceased Name: Irene Burnside expert worked to improve nursing care of elderly
Near the height of her career as an authority on the care of the aged, Irene Burnside, at 64, decided something important was missing from her resume.
So she curtailed her widespread lecturing schedule and moved from San Diego to live in a dormitory at the University of Texas with students who were decades younger.
In 1990, at 67, she received a doctorate in nursing at the Austin campus, where then-President George Bush acknowledged her in his com-mencement address.
For Dr. Burnside, the generation gap was the least of her obstacles. In 1988, she had been diagnosed with cancer, which delayed her academic progress but didn't undermine her resolve.
She died of complications from chronic lymphatic leukemia April 12 at Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego. She was 79.
Despite her illness, Dr. Burnside was able to complete a revision of one of her seven books, "Nursing and the Aged," in recent years, said her son, Clark.
She had started the book in 1973, while teaching at the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California. After she finished it in 1976, it became accepted as a leading text on gerontological nursing.
Dr. Burnside, an El Cajon resident in recent years, was born in Litchfield, Minn. With her mother battling severe mental illness, she was primarily raised by her aunts.
She left home after graduating from high school and landed a part-time job while she studied nursing.
After graduating from the Anchor School of Nursing in St. Cloud, Minn., she joined the Cadet Nurse Corps and prepared to serve in the Army during World War II.
Assigned to duty on Okinawa, Japan, after the war, she treated service personnel who had been wounded or had developed various diseases. One of her patients was Dean Burnside, a young Army lieutenant who was comatose from the effects of spinal meningitis.
As he regained consciousness and began to recover, a special bond developed between the two. When Dr. Burnside was discharged from the Army in 1947, she joined him in Denver, where they were married.
Dr. Burnside returned to school, earning a bachelor's degree in architecture and design from Denver University in 1950. She eventually returned to nursing, working the graveyard shift in a hospital psychiatric unit, after the family moved to Oakland.
In 1967, she received a master's degree in nursing from the University of California San Francisco and began to specialize in psychiatric nursing and to study the psycho-social aspects of nursing care of the aged.
"She saw neglect of the elderly," Clark Burnside said. "One of the big things she did was introduce calendars and clocks in nursing homes in the 1960s and early 1970s. She couldn't bear the thought that people in the homes might not know the day or the time."
In 1970, Dr. Burnside lost her husband to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease).
By then, her focus was teaching gerontology-related courses, which she began at UCSF. After moving to USC in 1973, she began writing extensively on gerontology, publishing a series of articles and books. She taught as a guest professor for one semester in 1988 at the University of Melbourne in Australia before pursuing her doctorate.
Dr. Burnside shared her expertise as a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society of Aging. She was a founding member of the board of directors and an honorary adviser of the International Society for Reminiscence and Life Review.
In 1994, she gave the commemorative address at the 50th anniversary of the Cadet Nurse Corps and was honored as its most distinguished graduate, daughter Tonya Thompson said.
As she battled leukemia in recent years, Dr. Burnside attended classes in flower arranging, took her family on cruises and recreational vehicle trips and "always remembered a birthday with a party," Thompson said.
In addition to her daughter, who lives in Elk Grove, survivors include sons Mark of Los Gatos and Clark of El Cajon; sister Lee Turner of Denton, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Services were April 17 at Foothills United Methodist Church, La Mesa. Donations are suggested to the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Jack Williams: (619) 542-4587; [email protected]
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Deceased Name: IRENE BURNSIDE
Oct. 4, 1923-April 12, 2003
Irene Burnside, 79, of El Cajon died Saturday. She was born in Minnesota and was a professor of gerontological nursing.
Mrs. Burnside served in the Army nurse corps during World War II. She was a member of Foothills United Methodist Church, La Mesa, and the Zoological Society of San Diego.
Survivors include her daughter, Tonya Thompson of Elk Grove; sons, Mark of Los Gatos and Clark of El Cajon; sister, Lee Turner of Denton, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Services: 1 p.m. tomorrow, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa.
Donations: Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden Fund, c/o Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Arrangements: El Camino Erickson-Anderson Chapel.
BURNSIDE: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Friday, April 25, 2003
Deceased Name: BURNSIDE
BURNSIDE, IRENE R. MORTENSON Oct. 4, 1923 to April 12, 2003 Irene Renay Mortenson Burnside. Beloved mother, precious grandmother, renowned pioneer in gerontological nursing, and gifted flower arranger died after a long, courageous battle with leukemia. Born to Walter and Rebecca Mortenson in Grove City, Minn. Graduated from Litchfield High, then to Ancker School of Nursing in St. Paul, Minn. She joined the Cadet Nurse Corps in 1944, upon graduation she joined the U. S. Army Nurse Corp; served in WWII in Japan. There she met L. Dean Burnside, whom she married in 1946--her wedding dress made of a WWII parachute--in Denver, Colo. While raising a family and working as a nurse she obtained her degree in fine arts, focus on interior decorating. In 1957 the family moved to the S.F. bay area. Again, she returned to school--receivng and MS in Nursing from the University of Calif. at S.F. As she taught psychiatric nursing she became dedicated to the study of the aged. (She attributed this to her grandfather, Mike, her staunch support through a childhood filled with loss.) Her work in aging led her to join the faculty at The Ethel P. Andrus gerontology center at Univ. of Southern California in 1970. She pursued her dedication to the study of the aged--she lectured, and consulted in gerontological nursing; she was widely recognized throughout much of the world for her research and clinical expertise in the psycho-social nursing care of the aged; particularly in reminiscing. In 1990, after relocation to Texas, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of Ph.D; she received special recognition from President Bush, the commencement speaker at Univ. of Texas that year. She was a prolific writer and wrote in a way that was meaningful and useful to all levels of care givers. She published 7 books, and many, many articles in highly respected journals in her field. Her awards were numerous--to list a few--honored member of American Nurse's Assoc, a fellow in the American Assoc, of Nursing, a frequent presenter and fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society of Aging. She was selected to give the commemorative address at the 50th anniversary of the Cadet Nurse Corps as its most distinguished graduate. As the leukemia stole her health these past 15 years she devoted her time to her family; she took them on cruises and Rv trips; she always remembered a birthday with a party. She lived in her own condo, went to flower arranging classes, and was devoted to the San Diego Padres, and loved to be near nature. Her final work was the creation of the Bereavement Committee at her church which created the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dean, in 1970. She is survived by her three children, Mark Burnside of Los Gatos, Tonya Thompson of Elk Grove, Ca., and Clark Burnside of El Cajon, her five grandchildren, Sally Burnside(UCSD sophomore), Chad Burnside (SDSU freshman), Katelynn Burnside (Crest 1st grader), Zoe Thompson (J. Kerr 7th grade) and Zachary Thompson (R. Case 4th grade), sister Lee Turner of Denton, Texas, niece Rene Scott, D.D.S. currently serving in Kuwait, and nephew Jay Scott of Houston. As she reflected on her own death, she wrote ....."perhaps after I've gone, you can say 'Goodnight, Irene' to a star in the sky to remember me." She requested that memorial gifts be sent to the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Bl. La Mesa, Ca 91941.
Irene Burnside expert worked to improve nursing care of elderly : Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Monday, April 28, 2003
Deceased Name: Irene Burnside expert worked to improve nursing care of elderly
Near the height of her career as an authority on the care of the aged, Irene Burnside, at 64, decided something important was missing from her resume.
So she curtailed her widespread lecturing schedule and moved from San Diego to live in a dormitory at the University of Texas with students who were decades younger.
In 1990, at 67, she received a doctorate in nursing at the Austin campus, where then-President George Bush acknowledged her in his com-mencement address.
For Dr. Burnside, the generation gap was the least of her obstacles. In 1988, she had been diagnosed with cancer, which delayed her academic progress but didn't undermine her resolve.
She died of complications from chronic lymphatic leukemia April 12 at Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego. She was 79.
Despite her illness, Dr. Burnside was able to complete a revision of one of her seven books, "Nursing and the Aged," in recent years, said her son, Clark.
She had started the book in 1973, while teaching at the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California. After she finished it in 1976, it became accepted as a leading text on gerontological nursing.
Dr. Burnside, an El Cajon resident in recent years, was born in Litchfield, Minn. With her mother battling severe mental illness, she was primarily raised by her aunts.
She left home after graduating from high school and landed a part-time job while she studied nursing.
After graduating from the Anchor School of Nursing in St. Cloud, Minn., she joined the Cadet Nurse Corps and prepared to serve in the Army during World War II.
Assigned to duty on Okinawa, Japan, after the war, she treated service personnel who had been wounded or had developed various diseases. One of her patients was Dean Burnside, a young Army lieutenant who was comatose from the effects of spinal meningitis.
As he regained consciousness and began to recover, a special bond developed between the two. When Dr. Burnside was discharged from the Army in 1947, she joined him in Denver, where they were married.
Dr. Burnside returned to school, earning a bachelor's degree in architecture and design from Denver University in 1950. She eventually returned to nursing, working the graveyard shift in a hospital psychiatric unit, after the family moved to Oakland.
In 1967, she received a master's degree in nursing from the University of California San Francisco and began to specialize in psychiatric nursing and to study the psycho-social aspects of nursing care of the aged.
"She saw neglect of the elderly," Clark Burnside said. "One of the big things she did was introduce calendars and clocks in nursing homes in the 1960s and early 1970s. She couldn't bear the thought that people in the homes might not know the day or the time."
In 1970, Dr. Burnside lost her husband to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease).
By then, her focus was teaching gerontology-related courses, which she began at UCSF. After moving to USC in 1973, she began writing extensively on gerontology, publishing a series of articles and books. She taught as a guest professor for one semester in 1988 at the University of Melbourne in Australia before pursuing her doctorate.
Dr. Burnside shared her expertise as a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society of Aging. She was a founding member of the board of directors and an honorary adviser of the International Society for Reminiscence and Life Review.
In 1994, she gave the commemorative address at the 50th anniversary of the Cadet Nurse Corps and was honored as its most distinguished graduate, daughter Tonya Thompson said.
As she battled leukemia in recent years, Dr. Burnside attended classes in flower arranging, took her family on cruises and recreational vehicle trips and "always remembered a birthday with a party," Thompson said.
In addition to her daughter, who lives in Elk Grove, survivors include sons Mark of Los Gatos and Clark of El Cajon; sister Lee Turner of Denton, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Services were April 17 at Foothills United Methodist Church, La Mesa. Donations are suggested to the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Jack Williams: (619) 542-4587; [email protected]
IRENE BURNSIDE: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Deceased Name: IRENE BURNSIDE
Oct. 4, 1923-April 12, 2003
Irene Burnside, 79, of El Cajon died Saturday. She was born in Minnesota and was a professor of gerontological nursing.
Mrs. Burnside served in the Army nurse corps during World War II. She was a member of Foothills United Methodist Church, La Mesa, and the Zoological Society of San Diego.
Survivors include her daughter, Tonya Thompson of Elk Grove; sons, Mark of Los Gatos and Clark of El Cajon; sister, Lee Turner of Denton, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Services: 1 p.m. tomorrow, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa.
Donations: Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden Fund, c/o Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Arrangements: El Camino Erickson-Anderson Chapel.
BURNSIDE: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Friday, April 25, 2003
Deceased Name: BURNSIDE
BURNSIDE, IRENE R. MORTENSON Oct. 4, 1923 to April 12, 2003 Irene Renay Mortenson Burnside. Beloved mother, precious grandmother, renowned pioneer in gerontological nursing, and gifted flower arranger died after a long, courageous battle with leukemia. Born to Walter and Rebecca Mortenson in Grove City, Minn. Graduated from Litchfield High, then to Ancker School of Nursing in St. Paul, Minn. She joined the Cadet Nurse Corps in 1944, upon graduation she joined the U. S. Army Nurse Corp; served in WWII in Japan. There she met L. Dean Burnside, whom she married in 1946--her wedding dress made of a WWII parachute--in Denver, Colo. While raising a family and working as a nurse she obtained her degree in fine arts, focus on interior decorating. In 1957 the family moved to the S.F. bay area. Again, she returned to school--receivng and MS in Nursing from the University of Calif. at S.F. As she taught psychiatric nursing she became dedicated to the study of the aged. (She attributed this to her grandfather, Mike, her staunch support through a childhood filled with loss.) Her work in aging led her to join the faculty at The Ethel P. Andrus gerontology center at Univ. of Southern California in 1970. She pursued her dedication to the study of the aged--she lectured, and consulted in gerontological nursing; she was widely recognized throughout much of the world for her research and clinical expertise in the psycho-social nursing care of the aged; particularly in reminiscing. In 1990, after relocation to Texas, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of Ph.D; she received special recognition from President Bush, the commencement speaker at Univ. of Texas that year. She was a prolific writer and wrote in a way that was meaningful and useful to all levels of care givers. She published 7 books, and many, many articles in highly respected journals in her field. Her awards were numerous--to list a few--honored member of American Nurse's Assoc, a fellow in the American Assoc, of Nursing, a frequent presenter and fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society of Aging. She was selected to give the commemorative address at the 50th anniversary of the Cadet Nurse Corps as its most distinguished graduate. As the leukemia stole her health these past 15 years she devoted her time to her family; she took them on cruises and Rv trips; she always remembered a birthday with a party. She lived in her own condo, went to flower arranging classes, and was devoted to the San Diego Padres, and loved to be near nature. Her final work was the creation of the Bereavement Committee at her church which created the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dean, in 1970. She is survived by her three children, Mark Burnside of Los Gatos, Tonya Thompson of Elk Grove, Ca., and Clark Burnside of El Cajon, her five grandchildren, Sally Burnside(UCSD sophomore), Chad Burnside (SDSU freshman), Katelynn Burnside (Crest 1st grader), Zoe Thompson (J. Kerr 7th grade) and Zachary Thompson (R. Case 4th grade), sister Lee Turner of Denton, Texas, niece Rene Scott, D.D.S. currently serving in Kuwait, and nephew Jay Scott of Houston. As she reflected on her own death, she wrote ....."perhaps after I've gone, you can say 'Goodnight, Irene' to a star in the sky to remember me." She requested that memorial gifts be sent to the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Bl. La Mesa, Ca 91941.
Irene Burnside expert worked to improve nursing care of elderly : Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Monday, April 28, 2003
Deceased Name: Irene Burnside expert worked to improve nursing care of elderly
Near the height of her career as an authority on the care of the aged, Irene Burnside, at 64, decided something important was missing from her resume.
So she curtailed her widespread lecturing schedule and moved from San Diego to live in a dormitory at the University of Texas with students who were decades younger.
In 1990, at 67, she received a doctorate in nursing at the Austin campus, where then-President George Bush acknowledged her in his com-mencement address.
For Dr. Burnside, the generation gap was the least of her obstacles. In 1988, she had been diagnosed with cancer, which delayed her academic progress but didn't undermine her resolve.
She died of complications from chronic lymphatic leukemia April 12 at Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego. She was 79.
Despite her illness, Dr. Burnside was able to complete a revision of one of her seven books, "Nursing and the Aged," in recent years, said her son, Clark.
She had started the book in 1973, while teaching at the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California. After she finished it in 1976, it became accepted as a leading text on gerontological nursing.
Dr. Burnside, an El Cajon resident in recent years, was born in Litchfield, Minn. With her mother battling severe mental illness, she was primarily raised by her aunts.
She left home after graduating from high school and landed a part-time job while she studied nursing.
After graduating from the Anchor School of Nursing in St. Cloud, Minn., she joined the Cadet Nurse Corps and prepared to serve in the Army during World War II.
Assigned to duty on Okinawa, Japan, after the war, she treated service personnel who had been wounded or had developed various diseases. One of her patients was Dean Burnside, a young Army lieutenant who was comatose from the effects of spinal meningitis.
As he regained consciousness and began to recover, a special bond developed between the two. When Dr. Burnside was discharged from the Army in 1947, she joined him in Denver, where they were married.
Dr. Burnside returned to school, earning a bachelor's degree in architecture and design from Denver University in 1950. She eventually returned to nursing, working the graveyard shift in a hospital psychiatric unit, after the family moved to Oakland.
In 1967, she received a master's degree in nursing from the University of California San Francisco and began to specialize in psychiatric nursing and to study the psycho-social aspects of nursing care of the aged.
"She saw neglect of the elderly," Clark Burnside said. "One of the big things she did was introduce calendars and clocks in nursing homes in the 1960s and early 1970s. She couldn't bear the thought that people in the homes might not know the day or the time."
In 1970, Dr. Burnside lost her husband to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease).
By then, her focus was teaching gerontology-related courses, which she began at UCSF. After moving to USC in 1973, she began writing extensively on gerontology, publishing a series of articles and books. She taught as a guest professor for one semester in 1988 at the University of Melbourne in Australia before pursuing her doctorate.
Dr. Burnside shared her expertise as a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society of Aging. She was a founding member of the board of directors and an honorary adviser of the International Society for Reminiscence and Life Review.
In 1994, she gave the commemorative address at the 50th anniversary of the Cadet Nurse Corps and was honored as its most distinguished graduate, daughter Tonya Thompson said.
As she battled leukemia in recent years, Dr. Burnside attended classes in flower arranging, took her family on cruises and recreational vehicle trips and "always remembered a birthday with a party," Thompson said.
In addition to her daughter, who lives in Elk Grove, survivors include sons Mark of Los Gatos and Clark of El Cajon; sister Lee Turner of Denton, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Services were April 17 at Foothills United Methodist Church, La Mesa. Donations are suggested to the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Jack Williams: (619) 542-4587; [email protected]
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Deceased Name: IRENE BURNSIDE
Oct. 4, 1923-April 12, 2003
Irene Burnside, 79, of El Cajon died Saturday. She was born in Minnesota and was a professor of gerontological nursing.
Mrs. Burnside served in the Army nurse corps during World War II. She was a member of Foothills United Methodist Church, La Mesa, and the Zoological Society of San Diego.
Survivors include her daughter, Tonya Thompson of Elk Grove; sons, Mark of Los Gatos and Clark of El Cajon; sister, Lee Turner of Denton, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Services: 1 p.m. tomorrow, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa.
Donations: Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden Fund, c/o Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Arrangements: El Camino Erickson-Anderson Chapel.
BURNSIDE: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Friday, April 25, 2003
Deceased Name: BURNSIDE
BURNSIDE, IRENE R. MORTENSON Oct. 4, 1923 to April 12, 2003 Irene Renay Mortenson Burnside. Beloved mother, precious grandmother, renowned pioneer in gerontological nursing, and gifted flower arranger died after a long, courageous battle with leukemia. Born to Walter and Rebecca Mortenson in Grove City, Minn. Graduated from Litchfield High, then to Ancker School of Nursing in St. Paul, Minn. She joined the Cadet Nurse Corps in 1944, upon graduation she joined the U. S. Army Nurse Corp; served in WWII in Japan. There she met L. Dean Burnside, whom she married in 1946--her wedding dress made of a WWII parachute--in Denver, Colo. While raising a family and working as a nurse she obtained her degree in fine arts, focus on interior decorating. In 1957 the family moved to the S.F. bay area. Again, she returned to school--receivng and MS in Nursing from the University of Calif. at S.F. As she taught psychiatric nursing she became dedicated to the study of the aged. (She attributed this to her grandfather, Mike, her staunch support through a childhood filled with loss.) Her work in aging led her to join the faculty at The Ethel P. Andrus gerontology center at Univ. of Southern California in 1970. She pursued her dedication to the study of the aged--she lectured, and consulted in gerontological nursing; she was widely recognized throughout much of the world for her research and clinical expertise in the psycho-social nursing care of the aged; particularly in reminiscing. In 1990, after relocation to Texas, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of Ph.D; she received special recognition from President Bush, the commencement speaker at Univ. of Texas that year. She was a prolific writer and wrote in a way that was meaningful and useful to all levels of care givers. She published 7 books, and many, many articles in highly respected journals in her field. Her awards were numerous--to list a few--honored member of American Nurse's Assoc, a fellow in the American Assoc, of Nursing, a frequent presenter and fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society of Aging. She was selected to give the commemorative address at the 50th anniversary of the Cadet Nurse Corps as its most distinguished graduate. As the leukemia stole her health these past 15 years she devoted her time to her family; she took them on cruises and Rv trips; she always remembered a birthday with a party. She lived in her own condo, went to flower arranging classes, and was devoted to the San Diego Padres, and loved to be near nature. Her final work was the creation of the Bereavement Committee at her church which created the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dean, in 1970. She is survived by her three children, Mark Burnside of Los Gatos, Tonya Thompson of Elk Grove, Ca., and Clark Burnside of El Cajon, her five grandchildren, Sally Burnside(UCSD sophomore), Chad Burnside (SDSU freshman), Katelynn Burnside (Crest 1st grader), Zoe Thompson (J. Kerr 7th grade) and Zachary Thompson (R. Case 4th grade), sister Lee Turner of Denton, Texas, niece Rene Scott, D.D.S. currently serving in Kuwait, and nephew Jay Scott of Houston. As she reflected on her own death, she wrote ....."perhaps after I've gone, you can say 'Goodnight, Irene' to a star in the sky to remember me." She requested that memorial gifts be sent to the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Bl. La Mesa, Ca 91941.
Irene Burnside expert worked to improve nursing care of elderly : Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Monday, April 28, 2003
Deceased Name: Irene Burnside expert worked to improve nursing care of elderly
Near the height of her career as an authority on the care of the aged, Irene Burnside, at 64, decided something important was missing from her resume.
So she curtailed her widespread lecturing schedule and moved from San Diego to live in a dormitory at the University of Texas with students who were decades younger.
In 1990, at 67, she received a doctorate in nursing at the Austin campus, where then-President George Bush acknowledged her in his com-mencement address.
For Dr. Burnside, the generation gap was the least of her obstacles. In 1988, she had been diagnosed with cancer, which delayed her academic progress but didn't undermine her resolve.
She died of complications from chronic lymphatic leukemia April 12 at Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego. She was 79.
Despite her illness, Dr. Burnside was able to complete a revision of one of her seven books, "Nursing and the Aged," in recent years, said her son, Clark.
She had started the book in 1973, while teaching at the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California. After she finished it in 1976, it became accepted as a leading text on gerontological nursing.
Dr. Burnside, an El Cajon resident in recent years, was born in Litchfield, Minn. With her mother battling severe mental illness, she was primarily raised by her aunts.
She left home after graduating from high school and landed a part-time job while she studied nursing.
After graduating from the Anchor School of Nursing in St. Cloud, Minn., she joined the Cadet Nurse Corps and prepared to serve in the Army during World War II.
Assigned to duty on Okinawa, Japan, after the war, she treated service personnel who had been wounded or had developed various diseases. One of her patients was Dean Burnside, a young Army lieutenant who was comatose from the effects of spinal meningitis.
As he regained consciousness and began to recover, a special bond developed between the two. When Dr. Burnside was discharged from the Army in 1947, she joined him in Denver, where they were married.
Dr. Burnside returned to school, earning a bachelor's degree in architecture and design from Denver University in 1950. She eventually returned to nursing, working the graveyard shift in a hospital psychiatric unit, after the family moved to Oakland.
In 1967, she received a master's degree in nursing from the University of California San Francisco and began to specialize in psychiatric nursing and to study the psycho-social aspects of nursing care of the aged.
"She saw neglect of the elderly," Clark Burnside said. "One of the big things she did was introduce calendars and clocks in nursing homes in the 1960s and early 1970s. She couldn't bear the thought that people in the homes might not know the day or the time."
In 1970, Dr. Burnside lost her husband to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease).
By then, her focus was teaching gerontology-related courses, which she began at UCSF. After moving to USC in 1973, she began writing extensively on gerontology, publishing a series of articles and books. She taught as a guest professor for one semester in 1988 at the University of Melbourne in Australia before pursuing her doctorate.
Dr. Burnside shared her expertise as a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and the American Society of Aging. She was a founding member of the board of directors and an honorary adviser of the International Society for Reminiscence and Life Review.
In 1994, she gave the commemorative address at the 50th anniversary of the Cadet Nurse Corps and was honored as its most distinguished graduate, daughter Tonya Thompson said.
As she battled leukemia in recent years, Dr. Burnside attended classes in flower arranging, took her family on cruises and recreational vehicle trips and "always remembered a birthday with a party," Thompson said.
In addition to her daughter, who lives in Elk Grove, survivors include sons Mark of Los Gatos and Clark of El Cajon; sister Lee Turner of Denton, Texas; and five grandchildren.
Services were April 17 at Foothills United Methodist Church, La Mesa. Donations are suggested to the Mary Carpenter Memorial Garden, Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Jack Williams: (619) 542-4587; [email protected]
Gravesite Details
Obituaries provided by Jerry Huffman (#46859530)
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