Career as Nurse Extends Over the Past Half Century
Paxton, NE. In a few weeks Mrs. Mary Edith Ambrassat will conclude a nursing career which had its beginning 52 years ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Ambrassat plan to leave Oct. 1 for the Pacific northwest where they will make their home in Salem, OR.
The Ambrassat's will live next door to Mrs. Ambrassat's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Rice, who are former Ogallalans.
Her nursing career, which has witnessed most of the advances in modern nursing and medicine, began when she joined the staff of a small hospital in Creston, IA.
In the early 20's, Mrs. Ambrassat; then Mrs. Mary Nolan, a widow and her daughter, left Iowa for what had planned as a few months trip to visit friends in Colorado.
On the way back to Iowa the pair stopped in Nebraska to visit a friend.
While fishing on the South Platte near North Platte, Mary became ill after being bitten by a mosquito. This was a milestone event in her life.
She met Dr. Charles Heider, Sr. who urged her to stay in Nebraska and assist in establishing a hospital in Sutherland.
The Henry Coker residence was purchased and a small hospital was established. "I can still remember the first patient. Mrs. Bryon Applegate was not only our first patient but was our first mother.
That was on October 4, 1922," Mary recalled. Since beginning her nursing career Mary has attended the birth of 2893 babies. At the latest count Mary estimates over 1000 are living in Keith and Lincoln counties.
In 1924, Mary and Ed Ambrassat a former patient were married. At this time the City of North Platte was without a major hospital. "Patients," Mary recalled "were making long trips to Omaha hospitals and then were slow recovering from the long trip." It was at this time the Sutherland hospital began to expand as the North Platte patients started arriving rather than make the long trip to Omaha. The George White property was purchased and a larger hospital built. Dr. Heider left Sutherland and Dr. Ralph Russell joined the staff and he continued until moving to California in the early 40's.
"During the depression we go along the best we could. That was a time people couldn't pay bills, but we treated all of them. Often we didn't even make a record of a persons' bill because we knew it just couldn't be paid. However, some people remembered and returned to pay years later. One case came back 19 years later." Mrs. Ambrassat recalled. "We often had to improvise the equipment we needed." On one occasion Mary built an incubator from two wooden boxes, a heating pad, some screen and a couple pieces of glass. It worked just fine."
In 1942, Mary joined the staff of the Ogallala Hospital which was owned and operated by Dr. E. A. Harvey. Commuting has always been part of her work. Since 1929, Mr. and Mrs. Ambrassat have lived in Paxton. Mary worked in Grant to assist in opening the Perkins County Community Hospital in 1952. Mary recalled her interest in nursing began when she was a nine year old polio patient confined to the Jewish Hospital in St. Louis for an extended period. "I got to know the nurses quite well and that was when I made my decision."
Mary studied at the Henry and Catherine Hand Memorial Hospital in Shenandoah, Iowa where she received her nurses cap. Throughout her 52 year career, Mary has been guided by her motto, "I live not to add years to my life-but to add life to my years." Throughout the years, Mary said, "I've tried to learn something from every patient I've met." Her Paxton home is filled with souvenirs from around the world which came from former patients. "Most of them came from World War II soldiers who were born in the Sutherland hospital. In Oregon, Mary feels that she is going to miss the wonderful association she has had while living in Nebraska. In Paxton, she has been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Riverside Rebekah Lodge and the Paxton Garden Club. In Oregon, Mary hopes to spend most of her time pursuing her hobby, gardening. However, she has already checked the map of Salem to see how far she will be living from Salem General Hospital. "I only want to know in case I need it. I'm retiring when I reach Oregon."
*******
Salem, OR
Mary E. Ambrassat, 93, of 820 Cottage St. NE, died Thursday.
Born in Davis City, Iowa, she worked as a registered nurse in Iowa and Nebraska until she retired and moved to Salem in 1964.
She was a member of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Survivors include her daughter Ferne Rice, Salem; sisters, Esther Grace Fitzwater, Davis City, IA, Berdie Irene Ordway, Wichita, KS., and Veta V. Hanie and Madge M. Rue, both of Des Moines; and brothers, Charles L. and James Adam McLain, both of Davis City, IA.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Salem West City View Cemetery, under direction of Virgil T. Golden mortuary.
Contributions may be made to the church memorial fund.
Mary Edith McLain was previously married to Thomas Alva Rains who was the father of their daughter Millicent Ferne who was born in 1910 in Missouri.
Paxton, NE. In a few weeks Mrs. Mary Edith Ambrassat will conclude a nursing career which had its beginning 52 years ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Ambrassat plan to leave Oct. 1 for the Pacific northwest where they will make their home in Salem, OR.
The Ambrassat's will live next door to Mrs. Ambrassat's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Rice, who are former Ogallalans.
Her nursing career, which has witnessed most of the advances in modern nursing and medicine, began when she joined the staff of a small hospital in Creston, IA.
In the early 20's, Mrs. Ambrassat; then Mrs. Mary Nolan, a widow and her daughter, left Iowa for what had planned as a few months trip to visit friends in Colorado.
On the way back to Iowa the pair stopped in Nebraska to visit a friend.
While fishing on the South Platte near North Platte, Mary became ill after being bitten by a mosquito. This was a milestone event in her life.
She met Dr. Charles Heider, Sr. who urged her to stay in Nebraska and assist in establishing a hospital in Sutherland.
The Henry Coker residence was purchased and a small hospital was established. "I can still remember the first patient. Mrs. Bryon Applegate was not only our first patient but was our first mother.
That was on October 4, 1922," Mary recalled. Since beginning her nursing career Mary has attended the birth of 2893 babies. At the latest count Mary estimates over 1000 are living in Keith and Lincoln counties.
In 1924, Mary and Ed Ambrassat a former patient were married. At this time the City of North Platte was without a major hospital. "Patients," Mary recalled "were making long trips to Omaha hospitals and then were slow recovering from the long trip." It was at this time the Sutherland hospital began to expand as the North Platte patients started arriving rather than make the long trip to Omaha. The George White property was purchased and a larger hospital built. Dr. Heider left Sutherland and Dr. Ralph Russell joined the staff and he continued until moving to California in the early 40's.
"During the depression we go along the best we could. That was a time people couldn't pay bills, but we treated all of them. Often we didn't even make a record of a persons' bill because we knew it just couldn't be paid. However, some people remembered and returned to pay years later. One case came back 19 years later." Mrs. Ambrassat recalled. "We often had to improvise the equipment we needed." On one occasion Mary built an incubator from two wooden boxes, a heating pad, some screen and a couple pieces of glass. It worked just fine."
In 1942, Mary joined the staff of the Ogallala Hospital which was owned and operated by Dr. E. A. Harvey. Commuting has always been part of her work. Since 1929, Mr. and Mrs. Ambrassat have lived in Paxton. Mary worked in Grant to assist in opening the Perkins County Community Hospital in 1952. Mary recalled her interest in nursing began when she was a nine year old polio patient confined to the Jewish Hospital in St. Louis for an extended period. "I got to know the nurses quite well and that was when I made my decision."
Mary studied at the Henry and Catherine Hand Memorial Hospital in Shenandoah, Iowa where she received her nurses cap. Throughout her 52 year career, Mary has been guided by her motto, "I live not to add years to my life-but to add life to my years." Throughout the years, Mary said, "I've tried to learn something from every patient I've met." Her Paxton home is filled with souvenirs from around the world which came from former patients. "Most of them came from World War II soldiers who were born in the Sutherland hospital. In Oregon, Mary feels that she is going to miss the wonderful association she has had while living in Nebraska. In Paxton, she has been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Riverside Rebekah Lodge and the Paxton Garden Club. In Oregon, Mary hopes to spend most of her time pursuing her hobby, gardening. However, she has already checked the map of Salem to see how far she will be living from Salem General Hospital. "I only want to know in case I need it. I'm retiring when I reach Oregon."
*******
Salem, OR
Mary E. Ambrassat, 93, of 820 Cottage St. NE, died Thursday.
Born in Davis City, Iowa, she worked as a registered nurse in Iowa and Nebraska until she retired and moved to Salem in 1964.
She was a member of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Survivors include her daughter Ferne Rice, Salem; sisters, Esther Grace Fitzwater, Davis City, IA, Berdie Irene Ordway, Wichita, KS., and Veta V. Hanie and Madge M. Rue, both of Des Moines; and brothers, Charles L. and James Adam McLain, both of Davis City, IA.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Salem West City View Cemetery, under direction of Virgil T. Golden mortuary.
Contributions may be made to the church memorial fund.
Mary Edith McLain was previously married to Thomas Alva Rains who was the father of their daughter Millicent Ferne who was born in 1910 in Missouri.
Career as Nurse Extends Over the Past Half Century
Paxton, NE. In a few weeks Mrs. Mary Edith Ambrassat will conclude a nursing career which had its beginning 52 years ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Ambrassat plan to leave Oct. 1 for the Pacific northwest where they will make their home in Salem, OR.
The Ambrassat's will live next door to Mrs. Ambrassat's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Rice, who are former Ogallalans.
Her nursing career, which has witnessed most of the advances in modern nursing and medicine, began when she joined the staff of a small hospital in Creston, IA.
In the early 20's, Mrs. Ambrassat; then Mrs. Mary Nolan, a widow and her daughter, left Iowa for what had planned as a few months trip to visit friends in Colorado.
On the way back to Iowa the pair stopped in Nebraska to visit a friend.
While fishing on the South Platte near North Platte, Mary became ill after being bitten by a mosquito. This was a milestone event in her life.
She met Dr. Charles Heider, Sr. who urged her to stay in Nebraska and assist in establishing a hospital in Sutherland.
The Henry Coker residence was purchased and a small hospital was established. "I can still remember the first patient. Mrs. Bryon Applegate was not only our first patient but was our first mother.
That was on October 4, 1922," Mary recalled. Since beginning her nursing career Mary has attended the birth of 2893 babies. At the latest count Mary estimates over 1000 are living in Keith and Lincoln counties.
In 1924, Mary and Ed Ambrassat a former patient were married. At this time the City of North Platte was without a major hospital. "Patients," Mary recalled "were making long trips to Omaha hospitals and then were slow recovering from the long trip." It was at this time the Sutherland hospital began to expand as the North Platte patients started arriving rather than make the long trip to Omaha. The George White property was purchased and a larger hospital built. Dr. Heider left Sutherland and Dr. Ralph Russell joined the staff and he continued until moving to California in the early 40's.
"During the depression we go along the best we could. That was a time people couldn't pay bills, but we treated all of them. Often we didn't even make a record of a persons' bill because we knew it just couldn't be paid. However, some people remembered and returned to pay years later. One case came back 19 years later." Mrs. Ambrassat recalled. "We often had to improvise the equipment we needed." On one occasion Mary built an incubator from two wooden boxes, a heating pad, some screen and a couple pieces of glass. It worked just fine."
In 1942, Mary joined the staff of the Ogallala Hospital which was owned and operated by Dr. E. A. Harvey. Commuting has always been part of her work. Since 1929, Mr. and Mrs. Ambrassat have lived in Paxton. Mary worked in Grant to assist in opening the Perkins County Community Hospital in 1952. Mary recalled her interest in nursing began when she was a nine year old polio patient confined to the Jewish Hospital in St. Louis for an extended period. "I got to know the nurses quite well and that was when I made my decision."
Mary studied at the Henry and Catherine Hand Memorial Hospital in Shenandoah, Iowa where she received her nurses cap. Throughout her 52 year career, Mary has been guided by her motto, "I live not to add years to my life-but to add life to my years." Throughout the years, Mary said, "I've tried to learn something from every patient I've met." Her Paxton home is filled with souvenirs from around the world which came from former patients. "Most of them came from World War II soldiers who were born in the Sutherland hospital. In Oregon, Mary feels that she is going to miss the wonderful association she has had while living in Nebraska. In Paxton, she has been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Riverside Rebekah Lodge and the Paxton Garden Club. In Oregon, Mary hopes to spend most of her time pursuing her hobby, gardening. However, she has already checked the map of Salem to see how far she will be living from Salem General Hospital. "I only want to know in case I need it. I'm retiring when I reach Oregon."
*******
Salem, OR
Mary E. Ambrassat, 93, of 820 Cottage St. NE, died Thursday.
Born in Davis City, Iowa, she worked as a registered nurse in Iowa and Nebraska until she retired and moved to Salem in 1964.
She was a member of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Survivors include her daughter Ferne Rice, Salem; sisters, Esther Grace Fitzwater, Davis City, IA, Berdie Irene Ordway, Wichita, KS., and Veta V. Hanie and Madge M. Rue, both of Des Moines; and brothers, Charles L. and James Adam McLain, both of Davis City, IA.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Salem West City View Cemetery, under direction of Virgil T. Golden mortuary.
Contributions may be made to the church memorial fund.
Mary Edith McLain was previously married to Thomas Alva Rains who was the father of their daughter Millicent Ferne who was born in 1910 in Missouri.
Paxton, NE. In a few weeks Mrs. Mary Edith Ambrassat will conclude a nursing career which had its beginning 52 years ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Ambrassat plan to leave Oct. 1 for the Pacific northwest where they will make their home in Salem, OR.
The Ambrassat's will live next door to Mrs. Ambrassat's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Rice, who are former Ogallalans.
Her nursing career, which has witnessed most of the advances in modern nursing and medicine, began when she joined the staff of a small hospital in Creston, IA.
In the early 20's, Mrs. Ambrassat; then Mrs. Mary Nolan, a widow and her daughter, left Iowa for what had planned as a few months trip to visit friends in Colorado.
On the way back to Iowa the pair stopped in Nebraska to visit a friend.
While fishing on the South Platte near North Platte, Mary became ill after being bitten by a mosquito. This was a milestone event in her life.
She met Dr. Charles Heider, Sr. who urged her to stay in Nebraska and assist in establishing a hospital in Sutherland.
The Henry Coker residence was purchased and a small hospital was established. "I can still remember the first patient. Mrs. Bryon Applegate was not only our first patient but was our first mother.
That was on October 4, 1922," Mary recalled. Since beginning her nursing career Mary has attended the birth of 2893 babies. At the latest count Mary estimates over 1000 are living in Keith and Lincoln counties.
In 1924, Mary and Ed Ambrassat a former patient were married. At this time the City of North Platte was without a major hospital. "Patients," Mary recalled "were making long trips to Omaha hospitals and then were slow recovering from the long trip." It was at this time the Sutherland hospital began to expand as the North Platte patients started arriving rather than make the long trip to Omaha. The George White property was purchased and a larger hospital built. Dr. Heider left Sutherland and Dr. Ralph Russell joined the staff and he continued until moving to California in the early 40's.
"During the depression we go along the best we could. That was a time people couldn't pay bills, but we treated all of them. Often we didn't even make a record of a persons' bill because we knew it just couldn't be paid. However, some people remembered and returned to pay years later. One case came back 19 years later." Mrs. Ambrassat recalled. "We often had to improvise the equipment we needed." On one occasion Mary built an incubator from two wooden boxes, a heating pad, some screen and a couple pieces of glass. It worked just fine."
In 1942, Mary joined the staff of the Ogallala Hospital which was owned and operated by Dr. E. A. Harvey. Commuting has always been part of her work. Since 1929, Mr. and Mrs. Ambrassat have lived in Paxton. Mary worked in Grant to assist in opening the Perkins County Community Hospital in 1952. Mary recalled her interest in nursing began when she was a nine year old polio patient confined to the Jewish Hospital in St. Louis for an extended period. "I got to know the nurses quite well and that was when I made my decision."
Mary studied at the Henry and Catherine Hand Memorial Hospital in Shenandoah, Iowa where she received her nurses cap. Throughout her 52 year career, Mary has been guided by her motto, "I live not to add years to my life-but to add life to my years." Throughout the years, Mary said, "I've tried to learn something from every patient I've met." Her Paxton home is filled with souvenirs from around the world which came from former patients. "Most of them came from World War II soldiers who were born in the Sutherland hospital. In Oregon, Mary feels that she is going to miss the wonderful association she has had while living in Nebraska. In Paxton, she has been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Riverside Rebekah Lodge and the Paxton Garden Club. In Oregon, Mary hopes to spend most of her time pursuing her hobby, gardening. However, she has already checked the map of Salem to see how far she will be living from Salem General Hospital. "I only want to know in case I need it. I'm retiring when I reach Oregon."
*******
Salem, OR
Mary E. Ambrassat, 93, of 820 Cottage St. NE, died Thursday.
Born in Davis City, Iowa, she worked as a registered nurse in Iowa and Nebraska until she retired and moved to Salem in 1964.
She was a member of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Survivors include her daughter Ferne Rice, Salem; sisters, Esther Grace Fitzwater, Davis City, IA, Berdie Irene Ordway, Wichita, KS., and Veta V. Hanie and Madge M. Rue, both of Des Moines; and brothers, Charles L. and James Adam McLain, both of Davis City, IA.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Salem West City View Cemetery, under direction of Virgil T. Golden mortuary.
Contributions may be made to the church memorial fund.
Mary Edith McLain was previously married to Thomas Alva Rains who was the father of their daughter Millicent Ferne who was born in 1910 in Missouri.
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