Ernestine Gandy

On May 31, 2023, longtime Middletown resident Ernestine H. Gandy aka Tina Gandy passed away peacefully in her sleep at the Hillhaven Nursing Home and Rehab in Adelphi, MD. She was 87 years old.
Ernestine was a trailblazer, who excelled in the nursing field at a time when Black nurses and nurse practitioners simply did not exist. Born to Jack and Vonceal Holmes in Illahaw, Florida on February 2, 1936, she grew up in Montclair, NJ., graduated from Montclair HS and went on to attend college. In 1958 Ernestine became the first Black graduate of Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing in Montclair, NJ simultaneously earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Upsala College. She continued her education with graduate studies in Education at SUNY New Paltz. In 1980, Ernestine graduated from the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY.
Ernestine began her career working as a registered nurse at Mountainside Hospital. In 1959, she met and married her late husband Winston H. Gandy Sr. They would enjoy over 50 years of marriage. Early in their marriage, the couple moved to York, PA where Ernestine worked as a RN at York Hospital. In the early 1960's they relocated to Orange County, NY where Tina was hired as the first black instructor at the Middletown Psychiatric Hospital. In 1968, Ernestine began her career with the Middletown School District as a School Nurse Teacher. In 1980, after earning her Nurse Practitioner certificate, Tina was hired as the first Nurse Practitioner in the Middletown School District. She retired from Middletown Schools in 1992.
Ernestine is predeceased by her husband Winston H. Gandy. She leaves behind her daughter Kimberly D. Gandy, her son Dr. Winston H Gandy Jr. (Wendy), grandchildren Winston H. Gandy III, Winshanai H. Gandy, Winbriel H. Gandy, several nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Services will be held Friday, June 16, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 58 W Main St., Middletown, NY 10940. Viewing will start at 11am. followed by services at 12 p.m. Ernestine will be interned at the Orange County Veterans Cemetery, 111 Craigville Rd, Goshen, NY 10924 with her husband Winston.
In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation to the Alzheimer's Association(act.alz.org), the American Heart Association (www.heart.org), or the National Kidney Foundation (support.kidney.org) in Ernestine's name.