It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jean Fee, a dear friend of Frontier Nursing University (FNU) and former Frontier Nursing Service nurse.
Jean was born in rural Alberta, Canada, on April 29, 1937. She came to Hyden, Ky., in 1958 and graduated from the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery in 1959, working as a district nurse for the Frontier Nursing Service. She traveled by horse throughout the region, attending births and providing healthcare for families. The certification of “Family Nurse Practitioner” did not exist at that time, but years later, her experience and skills allowed her to certify as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 1980.
Throughout her life, Jean shared her knowledge and stories with Frontier Nursing University students during Frontier Bound orientations. She also was a host and mentor for students in FNU’s Courier Program.
Frontier Nursing University recognized Jean’s lifelong dedication to nursing by awarding her an honorary Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2013. She was awarded the “Distinguished Service to Alma Mater” alumni honor in 2009, and was named one of 75 honorees during the 75th anniversary of Frontier Nursing University in 2014.
In an interview about her experiences, Jean once said, “Wherever you work, look around for people you might learn something from. It could be a nursing assistant, it might be a doctor, it might be the cleaning woman, but you can learn something from almost everybody.”
Everyone who came in contact with Jean learned something from her and took away a piece of her dedication to nursing and caring for others.
The FNU community sends our thoughts and prayers to Jean’s family. We will all miss her greatly.
To honor Jean with your own words or memories, we invite you to visit our recent Facebook post, which is embedded at the end of this blog. Here are a few comments that have been shared so far:
Angela Bailey: “One of my best days as an employee of FNU was spending an entire day with Jean at her home looking at pictures, talking, and enjoying her memories. A great lady has left us and the world is a little darker at her passing. She will be missed.”
Misti Moon Harris: “I loved hearing Jean’s stories at Frontier Bound, she was an amazing person and nurse! I’m still so amazed at what the nurses were able to accomplish through the Frontier Nursing Service. Many prayers to her family and to everyone at FNU.”
Christine Collins: “I am so sorry to hear this, Jean was so nice when she would visit Wendover she would always stop by my office to visit with me and show me pictures of flowers she had taken, Jean was a great person and loved the frontier nursing service. She will be missed.”
Denise Barrett: “Jean was one of the first Frontier nurses I spent a lot of time with in my early years with Frontier. I loved being at her house and learning from her. She was so kind and witty, too. We will miss her so much.”
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).