Jane Binns

1940 - 2021

Jane E. Binns
February 17, 1940 - January 17, 2021
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - Jane Brandon Binns, 80, a 43-year resident of Hilton Head Island, SC, passed away on Sunday, January 17, 2021, at Hilton Head Hospital (SC). Having fought, with strength and determination, numerous health issues the past decade, Jane succumbed to respiratory arrest due to pulmonary interstitial disease and pulmonary hypertension, complicated by coronavirus.
Born February 17, 1940, to the late Dr. Marion B. Brandon and Marjorie Hageman Brandon, in Amherst, Ohio, Jane graduated in 1958 from Amherst (OH) High School, where she was an accomplished flutist, majorette, and a member of the Science Club and National Honor Society. She attended Ohio Wesleyan University (x'62) as a pre-med major and was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta national sorority. Jane earned her BS Degree in Nursing from the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester (NY) in 1963 and licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN).
Dedication exemplified her 55-year healthcare career. It was in the family genes. Jane's father, uncle, and grandfather were physicians whose experiences graced dinner table conversation. Taking her cue from this tradition, she served Strong Memorial Hospital at The University of Rochester for 16 years in several capacities: Charge Nurse for an OB/GYN Unit, Team Leader in a High-Risk Obstetric Unit, and Head Nurse for an Oncology/Gynecology Unit.
At Hilton Head Hospital, her contributions beginning in 1978 were wide-ranging: night shift staff nurse (the early days), Nursing Supervisor, Staff Development Educator, Director for Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement, and Director of Hospital Planning and Special Projects/Risk Management. The latter included facilitation of 3 successful accreditation processes from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (which led to consulting engagements with hospitals in Florida and Kentucky), and authoring the feasibility studies for a Sports Medicine Program and a Women's Health Program, as well as the Certificate of Need for a Cardiac Imaging Unit at Hilton Head Hospital. She was a member of the Joint Ethics Committee for Beaufort Memorial and Hilton Head hospitals. During Jane's hospital administration tenure, she also worked with patients as a certified diabetic educator, ostomy educator, and CPR instructor.
Jane's contributions in the healthcare arena were mirrored in the community. Joining the board of Hospice Care of the Lowcountry in 1982, she served as Board President for six years in the mid-1990s. In 2000 she was chosen the organization's Executive Director. Likewise, with the Palmetto Chapter of the American Red Cross, Jane was Board Chair and volunteered as coordinator of health services responding to local, state, and national disasters.
Complementing her commitment to quality healthcare was strong personal interests in the visual arts. Jane was an exceptional painter and artist, having trained through programs at the University of Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery. Her artistry in the kitchen, supported by over 1000 cookbooks which she read like novels, delighted her family and friends. Oh yes, the banana nut bread!! An avid reader, she further immersed herself in science fiction and the pulp fiction of the day.
A caring wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Jane is survived by her husband and care partners, Gerald (Jerry) R. Binns; daughter, Megan A. Elliott (Scott), sons Robert T. Binns II (Teresa), and Brandon Scott Binns; five grandchildren, Ian Elliott, Alex Elliott, Kristin Binns, Rachael Hutcheson (Benton), and Kaelyn Binns; great-grandson, Torren Elliott; and her extended family: Lisa Ritter-Carter; brother and sister-in-law, Edward A. Brandon (Neva) of Titusville, FL, and sister-in-law Elizabeth Jane McNierney of Okeechobee, FL; Patricia Semmoum, Shaun Carter and Felix Carter; nieces, Neva Gael Bowers (Darin), Teddi Brandon (Tammy), Kim Lavender (Bob), Lisa Morgan (Mike); nephews, Brett Brandon, and Albert Christiano (Melissa), and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews.
While Jane's passing deeply saddens us, we are thankful for the times we've shared with this creative, compassionate, and accomplished woman.
Jane's Celebration of Life will be held in Hilton Head Island, SC, later in the spring due to the pandemic. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made in Jane's name to a charity of your choice or to the following organizations: Hospice Care of the Lowcountry, 7 Plantation Park Drive, Bluffton, SC 29910; American Red Cross of Lowcountry South Carolina, 2424A City Hall Lane, North Charleston, SC 29406; or the "University of Rochester School of Nursing", mailed to University of Rochester, Gift Office, PO Box 270032, Rochester, NY 14627-0032.
Keith Funeral Services, www.keithfuneral.com, is assisting the family.