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St. Albans Messenger, Vermont, Saturday, 18 February 2023
Molly Bessette Grismore
Molly Bessette Grismore, lifelong resident of St. Albans, passed away peacefully Wednesday, February 15, 2023, with her loving family at her side, after having fought a courageous battle with cancer. Molly was born on March 28th, 1945 and attended Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans where she was a great student-athlete excelling in Basketball. After graduating from BFA in 1963 she attended the New Hampshire Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1966. She then started her nursing career, fresh out of nurses training at Kerbs Hospital where she started on the maternity floor and then was the first RN to work in the Outpatient/Emergency Room. When she started in the Emergency Room, there were two nurses on duty during the day, two in the evening, and none at night. There were no physicians who covered the room, and it was a little better than an outpatient room that took in anyone who arrived at the door. Through her stewardship, the "Emergency Room" became a true Emergency Department. She led the department in establishing a highly professional group of health care providers. She recruited full time physicians, nurses, ED Techs and Unit Secretaries, bringing the department from its humble beginnings of 2 rooms, 2 nurses to multiple rooms and dozens of nurses, physicians, mid-level providers, technicians, and secretaries. She advocated strongly for the ambulance bay to be built, and in 1996 it finally happened. She shepherded these changes with strength and confidence. Molly married her best friend, Glenn "Bud" Grismore and combined their families on April 26, 1980.In 1995 she collaborated with the ED team to develop the "THINK" signs that are placed state-wide at sites where deaths associated with drinking and driving occurred. Molly became certified as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) in 1996 and was in the first class offered in Vermont. She established one of the first SANE programs in Vermont hospitals and was instrumental in developing and maintaining services to sexual assault victims in the Emergency Department. Molly had a strong partnership with the Northwest Unit for Special Investigations where she worked closely with law enforcement, DCF, victim advocates and prosecutors to ensure that all victims of sexual violence and child abuse were dealt with compassionately and fairly. In 2011, she stepped down from her Nurse Manager role and continued to work in the ED as a triage nurse. Molly loved her work and loved her NMC family and was hoping one day to beat cancer and return to them. She was a charter member of the VT Emergency Nurses Association and held the position of President for 5 years and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from NMC in 2018.Molly was truly a mentor to all who worked for her, and around her. She was strong, compassionate, and had no tolerance for mediocrity. Molly was a driving force in her family and if you knew anything about her, it was where you stood with her. She was always great to lean on for advice and was known as "the rock" in the family and always available when her friends and family needed her. One of Molly's best talents was that she was an amazing storyteller. Her tales of confrontations with snakes and mice, both of whom she was deathly afraid of, were legendary and even if you were not afraid of snakes and mice, you would be when she was done with the story. She had a fantastic sense of humor and loved to laugh. Molly is survived by her daughter Staci and her husband Shane and their children Caleb and Riley, her stepdaughter Hilary and her husband Anthony, and her stepson John and his kids Alexander and Julia. Molly was blessed to have a large and deeply connected family that includes her sister Susan and her late husband John Bisson, her brother Carl and his wife Betty, her sister Judy and her late husband William, her brother Harold and his wife Shirley and her sister Fran and her husband Larry and many nieces, nephews, and many dear friends including JoAnn Manahan, Betty Lavoie and Nancy and John Pearo. Molly was predeceased by her parents Clayton and Arcella, her special cousin JoAnn Minzner and her husband Bud. Molly will truly be missed by all that had the honor and pleasure of knowing her. Molly's favorite holiday was Christmas and would want all of us to remember her fondly, particularly at that time of year. A celebration of life will be planned later in the spring. People wishing to remember Molly may make contributions to the Jim Bashaw Memorial Cancer & Catastrophic Illness Fund, c/o Northwestern Medical Center, Community Relations Office, 133 Fairfield Street, St. Albans, Vermont 05478 or the Connor Roberts Memorial Fund, LTD, c/o Ben Roberts, 27 Hill Farm Estates, St. Albans, Vermont 05478.Special thanks to JoAnn Manahan and Betty Lavoie for contributing to this. "Sometimes you just have to dance in the rain. "Honored to be serving the family of Molly Grismore is the Heald Funeral Home, where messages of condolence are welcome at www.healdfuneralhome.com.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1945 - 2023 (77 years)