Barbara J. Moilien Gruendemann Rutherford

Barbara J. Moilien Gruendemann Rutherford

McKINNEY, TX - Dr. Barbara J. Moilien Gruendemann Rutherford, PhD, RN, CNOR, FAAN, passed away in McKinney, TX on July 7, 2022 after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Barbara was born in La Crosse, WI in 1936, spent her formative years in Coon Valley, Westby and Madison, WI, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS, Nursing and MS, Educational Psychology, as well as a MS, Nursing from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a PhD, Nursing Science from Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX. Gruendemann made her career in nursing leadership and education, mentoring, writing and teaching, becoming America's super-operating room nurse, the Norman Borlaug of global infection prevention and surgical patient care, saving millions of lives around the globe.

Raised on a Wisconsin dairy and tobacco farm where she credits developing a strong work ethic, Barbara's vast experience included Staff Nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Director of O.R. Education, Assistant Professor of Nursing (Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles), Founder/Associate Director of one of the first ambulatory surgery centers in the US (Mountain States Surgery Center - Boise, ID), consultant, author, professional speaker, but primarily as an educator. For eight years, she was Director of Worldwide Professional Education for Johnson & Johnson Medical, Inc., establishing one of the first educational departments within a major medical products company and providing high-value professional instructional programs, manuals and direct mentoring of nurses, physicians and other health care professionals in more than 22 countries and the United States.

Gruendemann's innovations and advocacy for compassionate patient care, infection prevention, aseptic principles and practices, wound care, hygiene and general operating room protocols helped shape today's industry Quality Assurance Protocols and forever changed O.R.s everywhere. She has authored 10 books and over 40 journal articles, including co-authoring three editions of Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery as well as Comprehensive Perioperative Nursing, Vols. I and II (all considered "bibles" of O.R. nursing); Infection Prevention in Surgical Settings (the first of its kind to explore infection control guidelines that directly relate to surgical environments); and, most recently, Distance Learning and Perioperative Nursing. While at TWU for her PhD, she received the prestigious Virginia Chandler Dykes Scholarship Award, given for her academic achievements.

Barbara is a Past National President of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), the first recipient of the AORN Award for Excellence in Perioperative Nursing and holds a CNOR as a Certified Perioperative Nurse. She served on several elected AORN Board positions as well as numerous national committees and international task forces for AORN, APIC (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology) and JCAH (The Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Hospitals - now known simply as The Joint Commission). Barbara was also one of the first perioperative nurses to be elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). She is the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the Nurses' Alumni Organization at University of Wisconsin-Madison for her contributions to nursing. Her personal healthcare consulting practice was G4 Productions in Dallas, TX.

Gruendemann was a lifelong musician as a pianist, organist, carillonneur, and chorister. She served as organist/pianist at several Los Angeles churches, including St. Andrew's Lutheran (for 12 years) in Santa Monica, CA and Emmanuel Lutheran in North Hollywood, CA. As a member of Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Barbara served as a guest organist and carillonneur, member of the chancel choir and member of the organ search committee. She also accompanied and arranged for the Southern Californian 1970s pop/devotional band, California Sunshine, playing family venues like Knotts Berry Farm. "Music is my therapy," Barbara would declare. "Even though I did not pursue music in college, music has always been a large part of my life. Beautiful music gives special meaning and joy to everyday life."

Barbara also loved to travel, explore and learn. In particular, she was passionate about the mountains and deserts, flowers and autumn colors. Her great pleasure was sharing these with friends, family and her beloved second husband of 25 years, Warren Loyd Rutherford, who passed away in 2018. They are travelling together now.

Barbara is survived by her loving and devoted son, Eric Gruendemann; and wife, Patricia (PJ) Manney; and adored grandchildren: Nate Gruendemann, who shared Barbara's passion for football and spiritual exploration, and Hannah Gruendemann, who inherited Barbara's love of travel and dedication to music and choral singing. She is also survived by her sister, Tekla Knutson; her nieces Linda Knutson and Brenda Dolan and the extended Dolan family; as well as Warren's host of family, including Jeanie and Ron Peterson and Kathy and Marco Segura. Barbara was preceded in death by her brother, Wallace Moilien; her first husband, Paul Gruendemann; her brother-in-law, Paul Knutson; and her parents, Theresa and Jens Moilien.

There will be a small family gravesite service at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN on Thursday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. CST. The family has arranged a livestream and recording website link to view the service remotely at: www.washburn-mcreavy.com/obituaries/Barbara-Gruendemann-Rutherford/#!/TributeWall. Contributions in her name may be made to Highland Park United Methodist Church, Dallas, TX for the Music Ministries Program or any branch of the Alzheimer's Association.