Friends of Northeast Ohio Nurse Honor Guard

Eddie Lucile Grove, RN served others with quiet strength, gentle compassion, and unwavering dedication. She was known not only for her nursing skill, but for the comfort, kindness, and reassurance she brought to patients and families during difficult times. She treated everyone with dignity, patience, and understanding.

To Eddie, nursing was more than a profession—it was a calling. Her warmth and compassion touched countless lives and left a lasting legacy of care.
Rest in peace, Eddie.

Cindy Warren, MSN, RN, had a nursing career that reflected determination, excellence, and service. As a single mother, she earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from Tompkins Cortland Community College and began her career in New York before moving to Ohio, where she became a respected ICU and Cardiac ICU nurse.
Committed to lifelong learning, Cindy earned her master's degree from University of Akron and became a tenured nursing instructor at Kent State University at Tuscarawas. She inspired generations of nurses while continuing to work clinically and contributed to nursing knowledge through published research.
Even in retirement, Cindy continued serving others through volunteer work with Stark County Emergency Preparedness. Through her care, teaching, and dedication to the profession, she left a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire future nurses.

St. Luke's School of Nursing graduate Loretta Colby, RN devoted more than four decades of her life to nursing and compassionate patient care. After earning her nursing degree in 1957, she became one of the first registered nurses hired at Ashtabula General Hospital, where she faithfully served patients, families, and her community until her retirement in 1998. Her lifelong commitment to nursing reflected dedication, strength, and a deep compassion for others that left a lasting impact on all who knew and worked beside her.

Anna Kammer, RN received a Nightingale display at St Joseph's Church/Divine Mercy Parish in Massillon in honor of her nearly 40 years in the nursing profession. After graduating from Timken Mercy School of Nursing, she began her career in pediatrics at Timken Mercy Hospital before continuing her service in psychiatric care at Massillon State Hospital. Anna was known as a caring and dedicated nurse who treated every patient with dignity, compassion, and deep respect for their well-being. Through her skill and kindness, she brought comfort to countless lives and, in many moments, truly saved lives.
Rest in peace Anna.

Today, as we honor Joanne Mary Drain, LPN, we also perform the Nightingale Tribute in recognition of her life of service and compassion.
Joanne began serving others in the United States Air Force as an Airwoman during the Korean War in a supply depot after high school. Before becoming a nurse, she worked for ten years as a nurse’s aide while pursuing her dream of nursing. She graduated from the Toledo School of Practical Nursing in 1970 and devoted more than 30 years to nursing at Riverside Hospital, Toledo Hospital emergency room, Crittenton Hospital in Michigan on the neuro floor, and in a family-owned nursing home.
Joanne had a special compassion for patients with dementia and great admiration for her neuro patients. She received a Kindness Award at Crittenton Hospital, reflecting the warmth and compassion she showed to patients, families, and coworkers throughout her career. She retired at the age of 75.
Even with profound hearing loss, Joanne had a remarkable ability to connect with others and never met a stranger. Her nursing legacy continues through her daughter, Debra, RN, and her granddaughter, Anne, a Nurse Practitioner.
Thank you Joanne for your service. Rest easy.

On Memorial Day, we remember those who wore a uniform into places where the stakes were absolute. Nurses wore one too. Not on the front line with weapons — but in the field hospitals, the military wards, the overwhelmed corridors behind the lines where the wounded arrived faster than the supplies did. They made decisions under conditions that no training fully prepared them for. They held lines of a different kind. Today, alongside every soldier remembered — we remember them.

Tammy Youngblood Trent, BSN, RN, devoted 33 years of her life to nursing, serving others with compassion, strength, and dedication. She began her nursing journey in 1992 after graduating from the Jane Addams School of Practical Nursing as an LPN. She later earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from ATS Institute in 2008 and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Malone University in 2013.
Tammy’s career focused primarily on long-term care, rehabilitation, behavioral health, and correctional nursing, before finishing her career in behavioral healthcare management with CareSource. She was known for treating her residents and patients like family, often opening her home during the holidays to residents who otherwise would have spent those special days alone. Coworkers admired her professionalism, leadership, and dedication, and many knew her as the “best dressed nurse.”
Nursing was deeply woven into Tammy’s family. Her late husband, Sam, was an LPN, as is her daughter, Ashley, and her niece, Jennifer. Tammy’s compassion, generosity, and lifelong commitment to caring for others created a legacy that will continue to inspire all who knew her.
Thank you for your service, Tammy, you may rest now.

We remember a nurse whose life was devoted to caring for others. Frank Joseph Reilly, RN graduated from Lakeland Community College in 1978 with his Associate Degree in Nursing and spent more than 40 years serving as a surgical open-heart nurse at several local hospitals and the Veterans Administration before retiring in 2019.
Frank had a remarkable gift for calming fears and comforting patients before surgery. His reassuring presence, gentle humor, and compassionate spirit helped patients and families feel safe during some of life’s most difficult moments. He treated everyone with kindness, dignity, and genuine care.
Nursing was also deeply rooted in Frank’s family. His wife, Ellen, and daughter, Sherry, both followed the same calling to care for others. Coworkers became lifelong friends who admired his professionalism, generosity, and unwavering willingness to help those in need.
Frank will be remembered not only for his skill as a nurse, but for the warmth and compassion he shared with everyone around him. Through every life he touched, his legacy of kindness and caring lives on.

Akron City Hospital School of Nursing graduate Alma Bigam, RN, completed her nursing education in 1960 and went on to dedicate more than three decades to caring for others through her work as a nurse. She spent much of her career in the PACU, or Recovery Room, where she provided attentive care and reassurance to patients recovering from surgery. Alma worked primarily at Akron City Hospital, while also lending her skills to Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital and other healthcare facilities whenever needed.
Known for her resilience, strong work ethic, and compassionate nature, Alma balanced the demands of nursing while raising her family as a devoted single mother. She approached every patient with warmth and dignity, leaving a lasting impression on those she cared for and worked beside. Her years of service reflected a deep commitment to helping others and a life centered on compassion and dedication.
Rest easy, Alma.

Sharron Vanek, LPN was honored at First Baptist Church of Elyria by NEONHG. Sharon graduated from Elyria High School in 1960, attended Grand Rapids Baptist Institute, and later fulfilled her calling to nursing by attending night school to become a licensed practical nurse. She began her career in the labor and delivery department at Elyria Memorial Hospital, where she lovingly cared for mothers and newborns during some of life’s most precious moments.
Sharron’s compassion extended far beyond the hospital walls. Together, she and her husband Roger opened their hearts and home to two foster boys before welcoming their own two sons. Once her children were in school, Sharron returned to nursing part-time on the Med-Surg floor, faithfully working night shift for more than 30 years. Through her gentle spirit, quiet strength, and unwavering dedication, she touched the lives of countless patients, coworkers, and families, leaving behind a legacy of kindness, service, and love.
Rest in peace, Sharron.