Sally Rivera: A Remembrance

HPAE lost Sally Rivera, RN who passed away suddenly in August. Sally retired from EHMC several years ago, but maintained a lasting connection to her colleagues in MSICU. Sally was also a certified school nurse and subbed in all the schools her children attended. She was also an instructor at The Center for Allied Health and Nursing Education. She was the most incredibly kind, gentle, and thoughtful person. She advocated for her patients and never uttered one word in anger to anyone. She was supportive of her colleagues and especially MSICU orientees. We offer our condolences to her colleagues & her family. We share with you the words of her children and colleagues.

Fred Rivera & Stacey Rivera Cook
Our mom was driven, self-motivated and had a strong work ethic. She was an amazing role model! She was also caring and along with our father they gave us a good education, family values and a loving home.

Carol Boutillier, RN
I worked with Sally Rivera for 34years. Sally was the ICU nurse you aspired to be. Caring, compassionate, and attentive to details with highly developed critical thinking skills. Her quiet sense of humor would peek through from behind the curtain giggling with her patient. She showed her leadership skills as a charge nurse, preceptor, and mentor. Sally was respectful to everyone, no matter what position they held. In return she was loved by everyone. Her professionalism was impressive when she returned to work after losing her husband and expected us not to treat her special but be given a regular assignment. We were friends outside the hospital going to multiple social gatherings. She had many friends that she cared about. She was religious. She was the mother of two, which was her life. She was the grandmother of two beautiful granddaughters who she was so proud of she couldn’t stop bragging about them. Whether we are the family, the friends, or the coworkers we will all miss Sally . She touched our lives.

Virginia Murphy, RN
I worked with Sally Rivera for 30 years. As a new nurse in the ICU, I learned so much from her about care of the critically ill patient and how to keep an organized, neat workspace-a very important thing for Sally. Sally was generous with her time to her coworkers and the unit. She came in for extra hours when there was a need and was always willing to switch her schedule to help out a colleague. Sally retired 7 years ago, but never forgot about her fellow nurses. Any breakfast or celebration we planned; Sally was there. Sally’s caring for her coworkers lives on through her children.