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PostHeaderIcon FLORITA BEATRICE MCNEALY of AMHERST, MASS, July 19, 1928 – December 11, 2014

Amherst, Florita Beatrice McNealy, who for the past three years, lived in Amherst, died suddenly at home on December 11, at the age of 86. She resided in Michigan for a good part of her life and worked as a nurse anesthetist. She studied general nursing at St. Mary’s Infirmary in St. Louis, Missouri. This hospital trained the largest number of African American doctors and nurses from its inception in the early 20th century to the late 1960’s.

In 1952, she began her training in anesthesia at St. Francis Hospital for Anesthesia Training in Peoria, Illinois. This program was the first anesthesia school that accepted African Americans and at that time Florita was the youngest person to have ever enrolled in the Program. It was also a milestone achievement when she became the first Black to be employed as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee, Illinois—thanks to the recommendations of the nuns and surgeons that ran the O.R.

Florita was a Peace Corps volunteer and sent to Brazil to work on the SS Ship Hope. She traveled extensively and after she returned to the States, was employed in hospitals around Illinois and Michigan until she turned 78. In 2007, she retired from Pontiac General Hospital in Michigan after dedicating over 55 years to the healthcare field.

Florita had an unstinting love for anesthesia and attended countless professional conferences and conventions to learn the latest techniques in anesthesia. Additionally, she pursued graduate studies at Wayne State University in Michigan, primarily to better understand the challenges patients from various socio-economic groups seeking healthcare had to overcome.

She was a pioneer in many areas and she left behind much goodwill wherever she lived. One trait she left us is that no matter how challenged our lives are, we should always lend a hand to those in need. We learnt from her that even when you are crying, you should not ignore the tears of others.

Florita is survived by her sister, Laura Richards and her husband Femi Richards, a brother, William McNealy, a sister-in-law, Sarah McNealy, a very special cousin Peter Jackson and scores of nieces and nephews scattered all over the country.

Florita was a devout Catholic and member of St. Patrick’s Church in Detroit, Michigan. As we mourn her passing, may we find strength in knowing that death is only a transition and the spirit lives forever. For those who have toiled long and hard, a respite from the rigors of life is well earned. We cannot afford to deny her the rest she so rightly deserves. It is up to us to keep her memory alive in ways that would immortalize the impact she made in our lives.

She was buried on Tuesday, December 16, at the Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst and is resting in peace. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

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