Linda M. Moores, longtime senior nurse at Graduate and Pennsylvania Hospitals, has died at 77
She was an expert in progressive care, cardiac life support, and telemetry, and worked at Graduate and Pennsylvania Hospitals for 36 years.
Linda M. Moores, 77, of Philadelphia, longtime senior nurse at Graduate and Pennsylvania Hospitals, former emergency department nurse in Maryland, and onetime nursing instructor in New York, died Sunday, Feb. 23, as a result of a fire at her home in Bella Vista.
Mrs. Moores graduated from the Medical College of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing in 1968 and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Maryland in 1972. She was an expert in progressive care, cardiac life support, and telemetry, and she worked at Graduate Hospital from 1979 to 2005 and then at Pennsylvania Hospital until her retirement in 2015.
Earlier, she was an emergency department and rotating charge nurse at what is now Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Md., and a nursing instructor at the Memorial College of Nursing in Albany, N.Y. At Memorial, she helped revise and update the nursing curriculum and taught students at all levels about emergency medicine, infectious diseases, orthopedics, oncology, rehabilitation, and other medical subjects.
She was remarkably adept at interacting with patients, her family said in a tribute, and especially enjoyed mentoring students and other nurses. “She had a passion for helping people,” her son Heath said. ”She was one of the sweetest, most loving people you could ever meet.”
Linda Mary Bishop was born Oct. 31, 1947, in Carlisle, Pa., about 25 miles west of Harrisburg. She grew up with her sister, Shirley, and graduated from Carlisle High School in 1965.
She met fellow heathcare worker Michael Moores in the emergency room at Prince George’s Hospital, and they married and had sons Heath and Evan. They divorced later.
Mrs. Moores was friendly and curious, her family said. “She could literally talk to anyone,” son Heath said. “She would sit down next to a stranger, engage them in a conversation they weren’t necessarily prepared for, and talk their ear off for the next half hour.”
She liked bedazzled shirts and oversize hats and coats, and often wore her hair in a black bob with bangs. She researched her genealogy, enjoyed murder mysteries and the Olympics on TV, and played Scrabble and other board games with her family.
She and some friends got together for monthly girls’ nights out for 20 years, and one friend said in a tribute: “I will always fondly remember Linda’s deep sexy voice, her laughter, and her fierce love for her boys.” Another longtime friend said: “She’ll always have a special place in my heart.”
She traveled to Europe several times and especially enjoyed Italy. She doted on her family and dog, and had an amusing way of extending her vowels when she spoke. She ended many conversations with her signature “bye-ee.”
“She was honest, thoughtful, and genuine,” her son Heath said. “She would pretty much tell you what she thought without a filter and without hesitation.”
She gave her sons cute nicknames and donated frequently to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee. One of her favorite sayings was: “Never look back in anger. Always look forward in hope.”
Her son Heath said: “When you were loved by her, she made you feel like the most special person in the world.”
In addition to her sons and sister, Mrs. Moores is survived by five grandchildren, her former husband, and other relatives.
A celebration of her life was held April 13.
Donations in her name may be made to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Box 781352, Philadelphia, Pa. 19178; and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105.