Iris McDonald

Iris (Shmurak) McDonald set off for her next sojourn on Dec. 30, 2025 after an incredible 83-year journey that changed lives across Vermont, throughout the U.S. and around the world. Family, friends and countless strangers benefited from her endless compassion, trademark candor and exceptional skill as a nurse, leader and educator.

She is most deeply missed by her children, Mike (Nicki), Karen (Jeff) and Julie Mazza, and grandchildren, Haley and Gabe Mazza, and Ben and Sam Mazza-Bergeron, for whom she will forever remain the North Star.

Born Dec. 4, 1942, in Long Island, New York, Iris found her calling in health care while volunteering as a "candy striper" during her senior year in high school and earned her first nursing degree in 1964 at the University of Vermont. She began her Nursing career at DeGoesbriand Memorial Hospital (later Medical Center Hospital of Vermont and today UVM Medical Center), where she worked for over 40 years.

Throughout her career, Iris received the most joy in her role as a Clinical Burn Nurse Specialist, and in 2005, she achieved a lifelong dream - working on the Lakota Indian reservation in Eagle Butte, S.D., as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

Renowned both for her clinical skills and ability to shepherd patients and their families through the most difficult times of their lives, she was celebrated in a 1991 feature story in The Burlington Free Press and received the Distinguished Nurse of the Year award from the Vermont State Nurses Association.

"This job makes you real spiritual," she told a reporter. "If you give a little of your spirit, you get it back in return."

She derived great pleasure from volunteering for medical missions, including travel to Ecuador and Mexico. She co-created a Sister City Program spanning seven years between Burlington, Vt., and Yaroslavl, Russia, which facilitated educational opportunities for both countries.

Iris believed in truth and always being curious, and did so with humor, caring and love. There was a family saying that "Mom/Grandma is 99% right." She was proud of that.

She raised her children to embrace adventure and curiosity by taking them on multiple cross-country driving trips. She led by example and encouraged them to be true to themselves, take chances and create their own opportunities.

Throughout her life, she was a generous donor and active volunteer for local voting initiatives, Burlington Dance Theater, Replays Clothing Store, Shelburne Farms, South Burlington Library and South Burlington Food Shelf.

Iris's love for baseball began as a young girl attending New York Yankees games with her dad. She was thrilled that her son, Mike, and grandson, Sam, excelled on the diamond and could always be found cheering them on in the stands. She also loved garage sales, thrift stores, working crossword puzzles (in ink), playing bridge, and nurturing her gardens overlooking Lake Champlain.

Iris lived life on her own terms and departed the same way.

Please join us in celebrating Iris's life on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, 152 Pearl St., Burlington, Vt.