In Memoriam: Fallen NYSNA Nurses

The NYSNA community at Saint John’s Riverside Hospital is mourning the sudden death of their beloved colleague Maria T. Carreira, RN on January 9, 2022 from COVID-19.

Maria devoted her entire 34 year nursing career to the patients of St. John’s Riverside in Yonkers, NY.

Her bedside manner was exemplary. Maria’s kindness and gentleness, combined with her compassion was inspiring to her co-workers, as well as the patients who were fortunate to have her as their advocate.

Maria is survived by her husband Mario and her children, Jeffrey and Emily. She is also survived by her parents and a large extended family here and in her homeland of Portugal.

Maria, dear friend and colleague, your work here is done. You have left an indelible impression on the many souls you have tirelessly served. Rest in Peace.

Hawanya Henley Finch, MSW, RN passed away August 29, 2021, after a short battle with COVID-19. Hawanya was a proud CPEP Nurse and NYSNA member at ECMCC. Her fellow CPEPers say that she embodied the best traits of a Nurse and a Co-worker. 

Her patients were a priority and Hawanya would always go out of her way for them. Everyday Hawanya was on shift, was a better day. She had endless patience when everyone else was running low, she always had a minute to lend a non-judgmental ear, she could make you laugh right out loud and had a smile that was a blessing. She was a fierce mama of two and always showed how proud she was of her children and how much she loved them. Hawanya will be greatly missed by all.

Lollie Mae Watson worked at Harlem Hospital from 1976 until 1997 as a respiratory ICU nurse and later as head nurse. She was an active NYSNA member and her daughter Ellen remembered her talking frequently about her participation in NYSNA. 

Lollie passed away from COVID-19 on April 16, 2020 after a brief stay in Campbell Hall Nursing Facility. She is survived by her daughter Ellen and son Tyrone, as well as three grandchildren.

Supee Pojjananuvat was an OR nurse and active NYSNA member at Montefiore-New Rochelle Hospital where she worked for the past six years. She previously worked at St. John’s Riverside Hospital, as well as a number of other facilities after she immigrated from Thailand in the 1970s. Supee passed away from COVID-19 on May 15, 2020, a month after turning 74. Her co-workers remember her as hardworking and generous, with one colleague even calling her glamorous, noting how hard it is to pull that off in scrubs! She will be sorely missed by everyone in periop at Montefiore-New Rochelle.

Evelyn Ochoa-Celano was a PACU nurse and NYSNA member at Lincoln Hospital until she retired at the end of last year. She worked for New York Health and Hospitals for 37 years, including working for several years at Coler-Goldwater before joining the staff at Lincoln Hospital. She passed away from COVID-19 on May 13, 2020 just three days after her 63rd birthday. She will be remembered by the entire Health and Hospitals nursing family for her dedication and decades of public service to some of New York’s neediest patients.

The family encourages colleagues to leave condolences on this memorial site, where you can also view photos of Evelyn and her family.

Irene (Rene) Burgonio became a NYSNA member in 2003, when she started working as a hemodialysis nurse. She was a beloved, long-time leader at Long Island College Hospital before it closed, and more recently had been working at Fresenius in Brooklyn. She passed away on May 9, 2020, at fifty-four years old.

Mavis Charles, a native of Guyana, started working as an RN at Long Island College Hospital in 1999, and was an active NYSNA member there until it closed. She was sixty-three years old when she passed away on May 12, 2020.

Her colleague and friend Mary Tusca said, “My dear, dear friend has been called away to eternal rest. Mavis, you were one of those friends that when we met it’s like we were never apart. You fought the good fight!”

Erwin Lambrento was an ER nurse at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where he was an active NYSNA member and served for more than two decades. A native of the Philippines, Erwin was known to brighten up many colleagues’ and patients’ evenings working the night shift. He passed away on May 9, 2020 at fifty-nine years old. Erwin is survived by his wife, Aurora Ibera-Lambrento, a retired respiratory therapist, as well as his son Sigmund and daughter Cara.

You can read a moving tribute from Erwin’s nephew, Ernesto Jon Ebuen here. Almost 20 years ago, Erwin helped his nephew come to the US from the Philippines to compete in a table tennis tournament. Ten years later, Ernesto founded the Philippine Table Tennis Academy to teach others the sport. In honor of his uncle, “Tito Erwin,” Ernesto is now renaming the academy the Erwin Lambrento Table Tennis Academy. First responders held a tribute to Erwin outside of Elmhurst Hospital the night he passed away.

Azinet Pudpud, RN started working at Lincoln Hospital in 1995, most recently working in the Neonatal ICU. Azinet passed away on April 27, 2020, on the eve of her 62nd birthday. She will be sorely missed by colleagues.

As her loving husband Danny Pudpud wrote, “She was a very selfless person and thinks and cares about her patients wellbeing and condition first. She takes care of them without any mental reservation. She is well loved by her coworkers and is the life and joy of the group.”

“It was her lifelong mission to help provide generously for the financial well being of her family and help them achieve financial independence and self-reliance. She always thought of others even if she only knew them for a short period of time. She easily gets close to anyone she just met. She will be forever remembered as the beautiful and loving person that she is,” he added.

Stephen Marrone worked as Associate Professor of Nursing at Long Island University, and he also taught nursing education at Columbia University's Teachers College. Stephen was a NYSNA member from 1999-2006, when he was an Educational Specialist in Perioperative Nursing Services at the Mount Sinai Hospital.

Stephen was a gifted teacher, leader, consultant, nurse, and prolific writer. He had a knack in seeing the big picture, was an expert in organizational culture, cultural competence, and transcultural care. He was also a nursing researcher in transcultural nursing, critical care, perianesthesia nursing, and post-operative nursing care.

Stephen’s life was defined by his care for those around him. He was always eager to take his colleagues under his wing and guide them through any project, class, or experience. Through his devotion in teaching and the nurturing of his students Stephen’s legacy lives on in a great many nurses. He will be deeply missed.

— Robin Krinsky, Director at Large, NYSNA Board of Directors

Mama Guia, as her colleagues called her, worked as the Head Nurse of Kings County Hospital Center’s Emergency Department. She is an active NYSNA member, and served in the hospital for more than 30 years. She also worked at New York Community Hospital in Brooklyn. She passed away on April 26, 2020 due to COVID-19, and is survived by her husband, 4 daughters, 2 grandkids, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Here is a link to a news video about Guia.

Co-worker Shane Degracia, RN composed a message honoring Guia.

A GoFundMe page was established by fellow co-workers to offset the cost of the funeral and transportation of her remains back to Iloilo City, Philippines.

ABC7NY featured a profile of Maria Cabillon on Eyewitness News today, May 9.

Steven Malagraph worked in the Emergency Department at Nyack Hospital and was an active NYSNA member until he passed away on April 22, 2020. He was 59 years old. Steve started working at Nyack Hospital in 2008, and his co-workers described him as a true mentor and leader.

Several of Steve’s colleagues sent along these remembrances:

“There are people you meet in your life that connect seamlessly with everyone. They leave you feeling happier and stronger. You stand taller and prouder having had them as a friend. That was our Steve.”

“Husband, father, NYPD ESU, 9/11 responder, SOAC ambulance member, ER Nurse, teacher, grad student, employee and friend… so many hats that Steve wore so well. Steve’s larger-than-life character touched many people; he liked to talk and we liked to listen. In all these roles he brought joy, laughter, compassion, and above all, humility.”

“We will always treasure the laughter he gave us and the things he taught us. As a mentor, no question was stupid; he took time to share what he knew. Steve was a “step-up-to-the-plate” colleague, never running from bedbugs or Ebola. He kept us entertained with his extravagant stories from his rich life experiences.”

“Thank you for being our friend, colleague, and partner in the ER, Steven. We are better for having known you.”

“Rest in peace, Nurse Steve. Continue your nursing practice from above. We will never forget you.”

Marlino Cagas, an RN at Harlem Hospital and active NYSNA member, passed away April 20, 2020. Cagas worked as a pharmacy tech at Harlem Hospital for many years, before embarking on a nursing career at age 60. He started at the bedside in 2018, and will be sorely missed by his Harlem Hospital colleagues. He is survived by two sisters here in New York, and several other siblings in the Philippines.

Rebecca Yee, a Mount Sinai Pediatric nurse and NYSNA member since 1999, passed away on April 17 from COVID-19. She was 48 years old. Rebecca had also worked at Centerlight Health System. A week before her own death, Rebecca lost her mother to COVID-19. She is survived by her brother Hubert Yee and father King Sun Yee. You can find out more about Rebecca, and how to help her family here.

Jacqueline Rowe worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse at Bellevue Hospital Center before retiring in 2018. She started working at Bellevue in 1987 and was an active NYSNA member before her retirement. Rowe passed away on April 15, 2020. Tragically, Jacqueline also lost her father a week before to COVID-19 and her mother was killed by the virus just a few days later.

One of her Bellevue colleagues wrote, “I am so sad to hear that Jackie and others have passed. I knew Jackie well, and had the utmost respect for her nursing knowledge and sense of humor!”

Ernesto “Audie” DeLeon was an ADN at Bellevue Hospital, where he worked for over 30 years. On April 13, 2020, DeLeon lost his 13 day battle with COVID-19. You can find out more about DeLeon and how to support his family here.

Audie’s colleague Claire Martinez shared these memories: “During his tenure, he was an incredible inspiration and a mentor to hundreds of nurses, doctors and other clinical staff. He was an immensely kind soul with a humble demeanor. He will always be dearly loved by his friends who have become family, his coworkers, and relatives.”

Ernesto’s colleagues at Bellevue Hospital held a service in his honor, and posted a portion of the remembrance on YouTube.

Mary Ellen Porter was a nurse manager at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), where she worked for more than 25 years. She fell victim to COVID-19 on April 9, 2020. Diane Donaghy, RN, president of the local bargaining unit at RUMC said “She was always there for her staff. In the good times, the bad times, when the floors got crazy, she was quick to put on scrubs and help them when needed.”

One of Mary Ellen’s colleagues, Eileen Fiore, RN, suggested that “Being married to a retired NYPD officer, I know that they put a black band on their shields as a sign of mourning when they lose a co-worker. Maybe as nurses, we could mourn and acknowledge our co-workers by placing a thin white strip of surgical tape across our IDs.”

Gloria Minor was a nurse at Metropolitan Hospital and an active NYSNA member for over 30 years. She passed away from COVID-19 on April 7, 2020 and is survived by her three brothers.

Yaw Asante, a 60 year-old registered nurse and NYSNA member at Lincoln Hospital, was taken by COVID-19 on April 6. In addition to his service in New York City Health + Hospitals, Mr. Asante had previously worked as a nurse in Correctional Health Services. He is survived by his wife, Rosina Oppong, and three adult children, daughter, Ophelia Gyametaah, and twin sons, Atta Borateng, Sr and Atta Borateng, Jr. You can read a touching profile of Yaw Asante in The New York Times.

Nicanor “Nick” Baltazar, a registered nurse from Long Island Care Center in Flushing, NY, passed away from COVID-19 on March 31, 2020. He dedicated 40 years of his life to nursing, 30 of those here in America. He worked in Long Island Care Center for 15 years, and this year would have been his 5th year as the Director of Nursing. He leaves behind his wife Grace Baltazar, also an RN, and his daughter Abigail Baltazar, who just graduated with her BSN. He will be terribly missed by his family and all of those who have worked with him.

Freda Ocran was a 51 year-old psychiatric nurse at Jacobi Medical Center who was taken by COVID-19 on March 28, 2020. Freda had previously worked at several other Bronx hospitals, including North Central Bronx and Bronx Lebanon Hospital, and was profiled in the New York Post after she passed away.

Freda’s friend Dinah Bampoe shared photos with us, along with this remembrance: “Freda Ocran, RN, a 51 year old nurse, was a wife, a mother, a sister and a friend. Albert Einstein said, ‘The value of a man should be seen in what he gives, and not in what he is able to receive.’ That is Freda, a selfless individual who gave her all, and died doing what she loved. Missing you already. Rest in perfect peace.”

“We rocked together… worked together since 2005. I surely will miss you Freda!” — Ihuoma Ireaja