WORCESTER-Lynn Ann Hedman, RN, 52, of Worcester, passed away peacefully in the presence of her family and friends, Wednesday, April 1st in St. Vincent Hospital after a short illness. She leaves her daughter, Terasha Lynn Hedman of Worcester; two sons, Gabriel Edwin Hedman and Benjamin Nash Hedman, both of Worcester; her grandson, Jessiah David Hedman of Worcester; her closest friends, Cherylann, Lauren, Pam, Cheryl and Andrea; and countless friends and colleagues in the ICU at St. Vincent Hospital.
Lynn was born in New York City, the daughter of Edwin R. and Margaret (Nash) Hedman and grew up in Worcester where her father was a professor at Worcester State College. She was a graduate of Doherty High School and attended the Culinary Institute of America, where she studied cooking and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, where she received a degree in music, playing the cello. Lynn received her Associates Degree in nursing from Duchess Community College in New York. For the past twenty years, she worked at St. Vincent Hospital, first as a staff nurse and then, for many years, as a Critical Care nurse in the ICU’s of the hospital. Lynn then was promoted to manager of Critical Care Business and Information Systems, where she coordinated all data collection and analysis as well as managing the clinical information systems for the ICU’s. She was instrumental in developing the hospitals ICU’s into a regional referral center for the critically-ill. Lynn spoke nationally as an expert on the use of data in improving care processes for the critically-ill. She also made important contributions to the development of a rapid-response team for the hospital and served on the Hospital’s Ethics Committee as a consultant to many patients, families and staff. Lynn was an active member of the AACN and the SCCM and earned her certification as a CCRN.
As part of her interest in improving the care of the dying, she participated in the Worcester regional end-of-life coalition, Better Endings, where she chaired the Advance Directives Work Group and did important work in ensuring that more residents have health care proxies. Lynn’s work was always characterized by innovation, excellence and a relentless curiosity to seek better ways to do things to help others. Lynn was a kind, generous, quiet, loving woman who would do anything for anyone. Despite the challenges she endured in life, she would never show or display any type of grudge. Lynn would simply find the good in everyone and treated everyone with respect. Lynn found joy in her work as a nurse. She displayed strong work ethic and if allowed, would work seven days a week, never taking a day off and continuing to work through the early days before becoming ill. Lynn enjoyed the summer and many cookouts she would host. She would never let anyone near the grill. In the past few years, Lynn grew to enjoy the calming pleasure of the beach. She found reading to be an outlet, as well as countless hours of Law & Order episodes. She enjoyed music and dancing and had studied the piano and played the cello in her college years and as a young mother. The love Lynn had for dancing was contagious and her friends will never forget those times spent on the dance floor. She will forever be our “Dancing Queen” and will forever be missed but not forgotten.
Calling hours are Saturday, April 4th from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m. in O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lynn Hedman Children’s Fund, c/o St. Vincent Hospital Credit Union, 123 Summer Street, Worcester, MA 01608.