Josephine Mary Ryan

1942 - 2020

Josephine passed away on July 13, at age 77. She will be remembered as a loving partner, sister, mother, and grandmother, and as a fierce champion for women and nurses.

Jo was born to an Irish family in London on December 9, 1942, during a German bombing of the city. She was a late addition to three older siblings -- Fergus, Catherine, and Patrick. She spent her childhood between London and her family's home in the Thomondgate district of Limerick, Ireland, and would later recall walking to elementary school in Chelsea past houses shattered by the Blitz. As a member of the Girl Guides, she stood vigil at the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Jo was a feisty and outspoken girl. She practiced her quick-draw with a toy six-shooter behind the boarding house that her mother, Mai, ran for Irish workers living in London. Jo's father, Tim, was a steamfitter.

In March of 1956, at the age of 13, Jo boarded the RMS Queen Mary with Patrick and Mai, bound for the United States, where Catherine had emigrated three years earlier. Jo later had fond memories of the five-day voyage and reported that the food was excellent -- even in third class. They landed in Manhattan, stepping onto the pier and into the arms of aunts, uncles, and cousins who had emigrated before them.

The family moved into an apartment over a barber shop in Flatbush, Brooklyn. At P.S. 89 Jo quickly shed her accent to avoid being teased on the schoolyard. After two years, Jo and her family moved to Stamford, Conn., where Jo completed high school and was a standout on the basketball team. A bright and talented student, Jo later said she would have chosen to study marine biology if a guidance counselor hadn't steered her toward nursing school.

After three years at the Greenwich Hospital School of Nursing, Jo was recruited to a new program at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and added a B.S. to her R.N. Jo followed her love of science and learning into academia and collected further degrees: a master's from University of Massachusetts Amherst and a doctorate in nursing science from Boston University. She became a tenured associate professor in the school of nursing at UMass, where she trained future nurses for more than three decades. Admired by her students and esteemed by her colleagues, Jo was awarded the UMass Distinguished Teaching Award and the UMass President's Office Public Service Award. She taught pathophysiology and nursing theory, and she mentored doctoral students through their research. In addition to imparting knowledge and skills, Jo sought to inspire self-assurance and confidence in the young nurses in her classrooms. Jo was awarded numerous grants for research and nursing public service, published many journal articles and book chapters, and presented papers at conferences throughout the world.

Jo was partnered for many years with Bruce MacMillan, whom she met while they were students in Washington, D.C. Jo and Bruce shared a passion for books and ideas, and for peace and justice. In 1974, Jo supported Bruce's efforts to open the Broadside Bookshop in Northampton. Jo would do the window displays, selecting and arranging books to draw passersby into the new shop. With Bruce, Jo had two boys, Daniel and Thomas. She instilled in her sons a sense of compassion and social responsibility, an appreciation of the natural world and the night sky, and a love of words and wordplay.

Jo spent the last three decades of her life as the loving partner of Christine King, a fellow professor of nursing at UMass, and became stepmother to Chris's son, Benjamin. Jo and Chris shared both their lives and their work, securing research grants and authoring scholarly papers together. They published research on intimate-partner violence and training manuals to help nurses assess and assist abused women. This was pioneering work at a time when the health-care system was not seen as an area for addressing domestic violence. Jo and Chris also secured funds for a school-based health clinic in Springfield, Mass., and developed educational programs to train school nurses. Later in her career, Jo created connections between UMass and nursing programs in Puerto Rico, establishing student exchanges and distance-learning opportunities that led to the creation of a doctoral program at the University of Puerto Rico, the first such program in the Caribbean.

While she loved her house on South Street in Northampton, Jo also constantly sought out new flavors and experiences. She visited five continents, camping across Europe, painting with elephants in Thailand and riding camels in Egypt, visiting Alaska by boat and traveling many times to Ireland. She and Chris camped throughout the US National Parks with their three sons. Jo devoured detective novels and conquered crossword puzzles. She was known for her sharp mind and her dry wit. Jo never lost her love for her homeland or her lifelong pride in being an Irish immigrant.

In the last decade of Jo's life, health problems began to pile up. A breast cancer diagnosis was followed by chemotherapy, then open-heart surgery, and then still more difficulties. Her visits to the hospital were never pleasant but sometimes offered chance reunions with grateful former students, now practicing nurses who were happy to care for their old professor. Even as her health declined, Jo was kind to every health-care worker who came into her hospital room, always looking to make people laugh. And she remained committed to travel, from summer weekends in the Berkshires to winters on the beach in Puerto Rico.

Jo is survived by partner Christine; son Daniel and his partner Hilary; son Thomas and his partner Carolyn and their daughter Eleanor; stepson Benjamin and his partner Kate and their children Eve and Galen; brother Patrick and sister-in-law Emelie and their children Timothy, Eileen, and Finn; nieces Moira and Cathy; and cousin Mary. She will be remembered by friends, colleagues, and former students. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Donations in Josephine's name may be given to Women for Women International or Safe Passage in Northampton.