Remembering Agnes Shurr

Agnes G. Shurr, retired Professor of Nursing, died Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015, in Valley Memorial Home Eldercare, Grand Forks.

Agnes Shurr was born on Oct. 18, 1915, to Fredrick and Helen Shurr, on a farm in Elmo Township, Bottineau County, N.D. She graduated from high school in Glenburn, N.D. After graduating from Glenburn High School Agnes began her life of service to others. She entered St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, the same nursing school her mother had attended. Upon receiving her degree, she worked at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minn.

Agnes enlisted in the United States Navy Nurse Corps on March 1, 1937. She was on the Hospital Ship Solace stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She became a flight nurse during the Korean War, airlifting badly injured military personnel from various military hospitals in Japan, to Tripler Hospital in Hawaii then to Travers Air Force in California.

In 1947 she completed an anesthesia program at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, and served as anesthetist at naval hospitals in Houston and Bethesda.In 1950 she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Columbia University, and then completed a flight nursing course. She served as flight nurse to evaluate wounded servicemen from Korea. In 1954 she was transferred to the hospital ship Hazven in Long Beach, Calif., and became Chief of Nursing Service and anesthetist in 1956. When she retired in 1958 she had earned the rank of Commander in the Nurse Corps.

While in the Navy she was trained as a nurse anesthetist. Upon retirement from the navy, she returned to Grand Forks, to start a school for nurse anesthetists at St. Michael’s Hospital. Agnes left St. Michael’s in 1963 to join the World Health Organization. She was sent by WHO to Afghanistan for two years. Agnes then attended Columbia University and earned her master’s degree.

In 1967 she accepted an appointment ot the faculty at the College of Nursing, where she was later promoted to professor. She served as curriculum consultant, coordinator of the sophomore nursing course, and represented the College and faculty on numerous committees.She retired in 1977.

After her retirement from UND, she spent time volunteering in the Same Day Surgery at Altru Hospital. Her life was spent in loving service to this nation, her family, and educating young people to also serve in medicine. Living in Grand Forks or stationed around the world, “Aunt Aggie” was always a vital, loving, supportive, member to her large extended family.  Her love, kindness and support will be truly missed by all the members of this family. Many thanks for the years of care and kindness shown to Aggie by her niece Marion Hahn and the Hahn family.

She is survived by a sister, Mary Jane Gall and 14 nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Hazel O’Connell, Harriet Shurr, brother Raymond “Pug” Shurr, and two nephews, Edward O’Connell and Joe O’Connell.

Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, in Amundson Funeral Home of Grand Forks. Visitation will be for the hour before the service in the funeral home. Military honors will be conducted by representatives of the U.S. Navy and the North Dakota Army National Guard. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery of Mandan.