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Obituary
BWH mourns the loss of Gayle Nylander, BSN, RN, a nurse who had worked in oncology units at BWH since 1994. She passed away Aug. 20 at age 39 after a courageous battle against colon cancer.
“She was a very thorough nurse who always took extra time with her patients,” said friend and colleague Doreen Landry, RN, of CWN-7. “Patients and families loved her. They always asked for her.”
Ms. Nylander, of Medway, joined BWH in 1994, caring for patients on Hematology/Oncology pods in the Tower. In 1998, she transitioned to Gynecologic Oncology, where her sister, the late MaryJune Souza, was also a nurse.
“Gayle’s patients remarked frequently that they always felt so safe and well cared for when she was their nurse,” said Detta Quigley-Lavoie, RN, nurse manager on CWN-7. “She was very much respected and loved by all of us on CWN-7.”
Ms. Nylander’s colleagues remember her radiance, compassion and her sense of humor. “Gayle was always laughing,” Landry said. “Everyone who knew her loved her. She truly was beautiful inside and out.”
Ms. Nylander was courageous through her own battle with cancer, the disease she helped so many patients and families face. “She always came to work with a smile, even through her chemo treatments,” Landry said.
Ms. Nylander’s family was the center of her world; she loved spending time with her two-year-old daughter Abigayle, taking her to the park and out with Ms. Nylander’s sisters, nieces and nephews. Ms. Nylander’s mother, Mary June, is a unit coordinator in Labor and Delivery. “Gayle always said her mom was her best friend,” said Landry.
In addition to her daughter and mother, Ms. Nylander is survived by her fiancé, Joseph Simpson; sister Patricia Spitnale and her husband Brent; sister Heather Duke and her husband Jay; brother Gary and his wife Lisa; brother Eric and his wife Rosemary Suty; and brother in-law Michael Souza.
A funeral service was held in August at Christ Episcopal Church in Medway, followed by burial at Evergreen Cemetery in W. Medway.
A memorial service will be held at BWH on Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. in Carrie Hall.