Barbara Anne Wharton McCabe, RN, APRN, PhD, died 7/26/13 at her home in Lincoln, Nebraska from metastatic breast cancer. She was born 9/22/43 in Peckville, Pennsylvania to Harry A. Wharton and Julia (Yausm) Wharton of Olyphant.
The youngest of 5 children she graduated from St. Patrick’s High School in Olyphant and went on to receive her RN from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Scranton. After working several years she received a Pennsylvania Senatorial Scholarship for her BSN at the University of Pennsylvania and then a National Institute of Mental Health fellowship for her MSN.
While at Penn she met her future husband George and they were married May 24, 1972 in Austin, Texas where they both taught at the University of Texas. Both of their children were born in Austin. Later they moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama where they both taught at the University of Alabama. In 1981 they moved to Lincoln. By this time nursing was changing and an MSN was no longer sufficient for University teaching so Barbara completed a PhD at the University of Nebraska and then began teaching at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing.
During her career at Nebraska, she served on, and chaired, many master’s thesis and dissertations and published numerous journal articles and chapters in books. While she started in mental health she slowly moved to an emphasis on gerontology with a special emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease and companion animals for the elderly and people with dementia.
In addition to her teaching and research Barbara did extensive community service and received numerous honors. She was a member of the American Nurse Credentialing Center, Content Expert Panel for CNS in Gerontological Nursing. She was a fellow and served on the board of the National Gerontological Nurses Association.
She served on the board and later was president of the Nebraska League for Nursing. After retiring from teaching she chaired the American Nurses Association committee that revised the scope and standards requirements for gerontological nursing practice. The next year she was awarded the distinguished Service Award from the National Gerontological Nurses Association.
In Lincoln, she was a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders and served on the boards of the Alzheimer’s Association of Lincoln/Greater Nebraska, the Rudge Trust, the Senior’s Foundation, Lancaster Manor, the Nebraska Stroke Foundation, and Lincoln/Lancaster County Lifetime Health.
She was an active member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and President of St. Elizabeth’s Guild. For all her achievements, she was proudest of the success of her children, Anne Barbara McCabe Stephens (Steve) of Wichita, KS and Carl Wesley McCabe II (Lei) of North Potomac, MD and her grandchildren, Samantha, Leilia, and Kaylia.
In addition to her husband and children she is survived by her sisters, Ann Masko of Olyphant, Marian Vavaroutsous of Wethersfield, CT, her brother, Joseph Wharton of Chester, VT, and her aunt Viola Darlak of Olyphant.
A Funeral Service was held Tuesday, July 31st, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 6001 A St., Lincoln, NE 68510, the Reverend Susanna DesMarais officiating. Burial will be at a later date in Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests that memorials be made to the church or to the Lincoln Scottish Rite Preservation Foundation, 332 S. Centennial Mall, Lincoln, NE 68508.