STATESBORO, GEORGIA: Elaine M. Hapshe, R.N., PhD., age 64, a former Tewksbury resident, died Thursday, March 24, 2005 at her home in Statesboro, GA. She was born in Methuen on August 29, 1941, the daughter of Nicholas A. Hapshe of Alexandria, NH and the late Loretta (Marchand) Hapshe.
Miss Hapshe was raised in Lawrence, Methuen and Tewksbury.
While living in Tewksbury, she was a communicant of St. Williams Church. She attended Tewksbury schools and was graduated from Tewksbury Memorial High School in 1959.
Following graduation she attended the Lowell General Hospital School of Nursing and received her Diploma in 1962. She later received her B.S. degree in Biochemistry from Marymount Manhattan College in 1973, her M.S. in Nursing degree from Arizona State University in 1976 and her Ph.D. in Nursing degree from Texas Woman’s University in 1994.
In 1995, she joined the faculty at Georgia Southern University as an Associate Professor and was named the Director of the Rural Nursing Outreach Program in the school of nursing in 2001. Dr. Hapshe taught in the school of nursing at Oklahoma City University and the University of Oklahoma prior to her tenure at Georgia Southern University. In addition, she held Registered Nurse staff and supervisory positions in California, New York and Oklahoma.
Dr. Hapshe was a member and held leadership positions in professional nursing organizations including the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Mu Kappa Chapter, where she was the immediate past president.
In 2000, she was awarded the Georgia Southern University, College of Health and Human Sciences Teaching Excellence Award and was recently recognized for her contributions to Education by the Interfraternity Council, the National Pan Hellenic Council and the Pan Hellenic Association at Georgia Southern University.
In addition to her father, she is survived by 2 brothers; James Hapshe and his wife Elsa of Chelmsford and Nicholas A. Hapshe, Jr. and his wife Sharon of Alexandria, NH; 1 niece; Tina Hapshe of Tewksbury; 3 nephews; Eric Hapshe of Deerfield Beach, FL, Chad Hapshe of Lowell and Tim Polewarczyk of Alexandria, NH; 2 great nieces; Shannon and Alyssa Wink both of Tewksbury.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 16th at 10: 30 a.m. at the FARMER & DEE FUNERAL HOME, 16 LEE ST., TEWKSBURY. Interment will follow at St. Mary Cemetery, Tewksbury. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Elaine Hapshe memorial, c/o Georgia Southern University School of Nursing, P.O. Box 8053, Statesboro, GA 30460-8053 are requested.