Every morning, Mary Ann Anglim arrived at the University of Minnesota Hospital at 6 a.m. sharp to handpick the best patient for her clinical nursing students.
"She was probably one of the most dedicated nurses I had the privilege to know," said Dorothy Geis, a colleague and friend at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. In her long career, Anglim wrote articles for medical journals, led workshops and spoke at national nursing conferences on topics ranging from home care for children with cancer to nurse burnout.
An assistant professor at the school for more than three decades, she also volunteered for the Minnesota division of the American Cancer Society and taught continuing education classes for professional nurses.
Doing all of this, while raising a family in south Minneapolis, took a toll on Anglim, who would fall asleep in a chair, "grading papers late into the night," said son Chris Anglim.
It was the death of her 7-year-old daughter Nancy from cancer in 1968 that influenced her to focus her career on cancer education and oncology-related nursing care. "She had so much empathy for others who were dealing with cancer in their family," said Geis.
Anglim died April 13 at age 83 after a long battle with dementia at the Mount Olivet Careview Home in Minneapolis. She was born in River Forest, Ill., near Chicago in 1933. Her mother, Hemelia Pool, a nurse, encouraged Anglim to pursue a nursing career. Anglim, who had family members in Minneapolis, went to the University of Minnesota School of Nursing to earn her BSN in 1956. There, she met Richard Anglim at a college mixer. They married in 1957.
After completing nursing school, Anglim worked in an emergency room in southern Minnesota. "She told us stories of the gruesome things that happened to people from the farms," said son John Anglim. "The ER was not her cup of tea."
She moved on to caring for patients at University of Minnesota Hospitals, but, her family and colleagues said, teaching was her true calling. While juggling family obligations, Anglim went back to school and graduated with a master's in education in 1964 from the University of Minnesota.
She was admired and respected by her nursing students and was often asked to speak at commencement ceremonies. She also won many accolades and awards, including Excellence in Nursing Education in 1985, but she "didn't toot her horn too much," said Chris.
Caryl Range was on staff at the local American Cancer Society, where Anglim led education programs for nurses. "Mary Ann lectured about caring for patients with cancer, a topic you didn't talk about in the late 1970s," said Range, a longtime friend.
Anglim was known for her sense of humor and her tales, said friends and colleagues. "She regaled us with stories of her pet duck living in a pond in her backyard," said Sandra Edwardson, a retired dean and professor at the School of Nursing.
In 2001, Anglim retired with plans to travel. However, a stroke two years later caused debilitating health problems. Still, she made it a point to attend meetings of the Oncology Nursing Society, said Range.
"She was able to turn a tragedy for the better by helping others," said son John.
She is survived by her husband, Richard; daughter, Kathy; sons, Chris and John; brother, James Pool, and three grandchildren. Services have been held.