Skip to content
Obituaries
Link copied to clipboard

Regina M. Quinn, 77, a nursing leader and educator

She held key leadership positions in nursing at Lankenau Medical Center, the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, and Bryn Mawr Hospital. She taught at the University of Pennsylvania.

Regina M. Quinn.
Regina M. Quinn.Read moreCourtesy of the family

Regina M. Quinn, 77, of Springfield, Delaware County, a nurse, patient coordinator, and nursing educator, died Saturday, Nov. 18, of coronary artery disease at her home.

Known to friends as "Jean," Dr. Quinn enjoyed a distinguished career in nursing. She worked at various area hospitals, including a 22-year stint ending in the late 1990s at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby Borough, where she served as patient care coordinator, clinical nurse specialist, and clinical nurse educator.

She also held key leadership positions in the nursing departments at Lankenau Medical Center, the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, and Bryn Mawr Hospital.

In the late 1960s, she moved to Long Beach, Calif., for a year to be near relatives, and took a job as a staff nurse in the medical intensive care unit at Long Beach VA Hospital.

In addition to clinical work in hospitals, Dr. Quinn was on the faculty at what is now Neumann University in Aston and the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, she was teacher and coordinator for courses in leadership roles in nursing, senior medical/surgical nursing, and fundamentals in nursing. She retired in the late 1990s.

Dr. Quinn was born and grew up in Bethlehem, Pa. Her parents, Bernard E. and Rose Marie Golden Quinn, died when she was in her late teens, said her cousin John Golden.

Their deaths and her devout Catholic faith pointed her toward nursing, a helping profession. "She wanted to help people be healthy," Golden said.

A 1958 graduate of Bethlehem Catholic High School, Dr. Quinn completed her studies at the Allentown-based Sacred Heart Hospital School of Nursing in 1961. She received her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Villanova University, her master of science degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1995 a doctorate in nursing education from Temple University.

She was an active volunteer in her Springfield community, both at Divine Providence Village and at St. Kevin Parish, where she served as the parish nurse.

While working at Penn, Dr. Quinn lived in West Philadelphia. In 1983, she moved to Springfield, where she lived for the rest of her life.

Golden said Dr. Quinn was a regular at all family gatherings. "She was a pleasure to be around and had a wealth of knowledge and advice," he said.

MaryEllen Golden Oroskey, her goddaughter and cousin, said Dr. Quinn was always a staple in her home, especially at holidays. "She will be very, very missed in our family. She was always there for all of us," Oroskey said.

Dr. Quinn was an avid traveler who loved cruises and beaches. She also was a voracious reader, movie buff, and enthusiastic Philadelphia sports fan.

She is survived by two nieces, a nephew, and an extended family.

A visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27, at St. Kevin Church, 200 W. Sproul Rd., Springfield, will be followed by a 10:30 a.m. Funeral Mass at the church. Burial in Bethlehem will be private.

Donations in her memory may be made to Divine Providence Village, 686 Old Marple Rd., Springfield, Pa. 19064.