Obituary: Margaret M. Frangioso
Brigham and Women's Hospital mourned the passing of longtime nurse Margaret M. “Peggy” Frangioso, a staff nurse here for 29 years. She died Jan. 29 after a long battle with ovarian cancer at age 58.
Friends and colleagues remembered Peggy Frangioso for the guidance she offered new nurses and residents, the sense of humor and infectious laugh she shared with patients and coworkers, and the grace and courage she demonstrated during her 13-year battle with cancer. A graduate of the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing, Frangioso provided care on Connors Center post-partum floors, Ambulatory OB/GYN and the Ambulatory Resident OB practice.
Betty Fenton-Diggins, RN, staff nurse, recalls being intimidated several years ago to find the pregnant Frangioso as her patient. “Peggy told me she was going to be my evening supervisor and I was petrified because I was so new. But she put me at ease and actually helped me through her care,” she said.
During her fight against cancer, Frangioso was even more helpful and even inspirational to staff and patients. “She always left an inspirational impression on anyone she met despite what she was going through,” Fenton-Diggins said.
Whether it was during her nursing shifts or while waiting as a patient for chemotherapy treatments, Frangioso was known for “going well beyond the physical care of patients,” Laurie Rapson, RN, said. “Whenever she spoke with a resident about a patient, she would talk about the whole person including their personality and anxieties.”
The mother of two sons, she was also the mother of Michelle Frangioso, RN, staff nurse for the Float Pool in the Tower. “Peggy was so proud of Michelle and in many respects, Peggy lives on here at BWH because of Michelle,” Rapson said.