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Catherine Smudde Browne, RN Written by Alice Harris April 2002 Catherine Smudde was born
July 6, 1907 at Kaukauna, Wisconsin to Reinhardt and Ann (Goede) Smudde. She was from a family of thirteen
children. In 1937 she married Tom A.
Browne and became active in community affairs.
She joined, and was one time President of, the Waupaca Garden Club as
well as busying herself with church work. Catherine worked her way
through training at Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Oshkosh, Wis., and
graduated from there in 1930. Most of
her nursing was done in and around Waupaca, working in Dr. Christofferson’s
Hospital, which is now Garden Park House, also with Dr. Sam Salan when he had a
hospital at 301 Lake Street. She worked
at Riverside Community Hospital when it was first built. When the hospital personnel
decided it was necessary to have nurse’s aides to help care for the patients
back in 1957, they chose Catherine Browne to do the training. She was a capable, dedicated nurse and
instilled in her students the importance of how to care for the sick, to watch
for signs of a change in their condition, and to make the patients stay in the
hospital as comfortable as possible. The nurse’s aides were
taught how to make a proper bed with envelope corners and how to prepare a bed
for a patient when they returned from surgery.
They were taught how to give a bed bath and how to wash the head of a
patient who was bedridden. They were
taught to see that the patients had fresh water to drink. They ensured there were clean towels,
washcloths and soap with a basin of warm water so the patient could wash for
their meals and if they were unable to wash themselves, the nurse’s aide was to
help them to wash. In those days they were
given a back rub with lotion and a fresh draw sheet and hospital gown to
prepare them for a good night’s sleep. On every shift the blood
pressure and temperature was taken of the patient and recorded for the
Registered Nurse in charge. They
reported to the nurse if the patient was in pain or any change had occurred on
that shift. If the patient expired on
their shift, the nurse’s aides were also taught how to prepare them for the
undertaker. In all it was a very
thorough course and she made sure the aides understood what was expected of them
before she allowed them to go on duty. It was a pleasure to watch her at work. She always went the extra mile to make the patient in her care feel comfortable. All the nurse’s aides who worked when she was in on-duty could relax and know she could handle whatever happened. She exemplified the nursing profession through the care she gave her patients. In all she dedicated 52 years to nursing. At the time of her death she
was well known and respected in the community.
She passed away March 2, 1993 and is buried in the Browne family plot in
Lakeside Cemetery in Waupaca. Her grave
marker reads as follows: Catherine Smudde Browne Wife Registered Nurse Woman’s Club Leader Her husband’s grave marker
reads: Tom A. Browne Son, Husband, Civic Leader Lawyer, Sportsman, Historian The Browne Law Office,
located at 202 Union Street, is now registered as an historic place with the
Waupaca Historic Preservation Commission.
It is still used as a law office by Mark Morrow and is recognized as the
longest existing law building in Wisconsin. Alice Harris |