Betty Rairdan, Associate Professor of Nursing,
|
 |
| Betty Rairdan 1945 - 2005 |
Betty J. Rairdan, RN, MSN, ARNP, died Aug. 6, 2005, following a courageous battle with cancer. She passed away at the Ellensburg family home where she had returned earlier this year due to failing health.
"Betty was a wonderful colleague who played an important role in the founding of the Mark & Huldah Buntain School of Nursing," stated Dr. Jim Heugel, the Provost of Northwest University.
She was born in Ellensburg, Wash., on April 25, 1945, the daughter of Oscar J. and Doris Rairdan.
A nurse practitioner, Betty spent many years in missionary work in various countries. Over the past few years, Betty served as a full-time nursing faculty member at the Mark & Huldah Buntain School of Nursing at Northwest University.
Betty is survived by her mother, Doris, sister, Virginia Woolard, and brother, Don Rairdan.
A memorial celebration of life was held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, at the Family Christian Center, 701 E. Capitol (Capitol and Walnut), Ellensburg, WA. A second service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, August 20, at New Life Foursquare Church, 6830 Highland Drive, Everett, WA.
Memorials are suggested to the Betty Rairdan Memorial Fund, 405 S. Walnut St., Ellensburg, WA, 98926, to be distributed to her special interest charities, including missions and Hospice Friends, or sent to Northwest University, Attn: College Advancement, P.O. Box 579, Kirkland, WA 98083 for the Betty Rairdan Nursing Missions Scholarship to assist students training for the nursing profession.
Betty Rairdan brought much joy, strength, and faith to the Mark and Huldah Buntain School of Nursing.
I remember my first meeting with her on March 14, 2000. She spoke of seeing an announcement in the Pentecostal Evangel about Northwest College opening a School of Nursing and that it would be named for Mark and Huldah Buntain. Betty told me that when she saw that announcement it was like a sudden and unexpected direction from God that she must explore.
She recounted to me how at the age of 12, she heard Mark and Huldah Buntain speak at her home church in Ellensburg. She held the Buntains in high esteem and set out toward a goal of becoming a nurse, so that she could work as a missionary in India.
Betty explained to me that after completing her basic nursing education (Emanuel Hospital, Portland, Oregon), the doors were not open to be a nurse in India, but the opportunity arose to be a nurse missionary in the neighboring country of Pakistan. She served faithfully in that country for 14 years.
Betty returned to the United States to obtain her Bachelors Degree in Nursing (Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education, Spokane, Wash.), followed by her Master of Nursing Degree (University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.).
She said that she wanted to be a nurse practitioner to be of greater service on the mission field, and the Masters Degree enabled her to obtain licensure as a nurse practitioner. Upon becoming a nurse practitioner, the mission field to which God led her was the prison population at the Monroe Correctional Center in Washington.
Over a 10 year period she had a positive influence on thousands of lives at this correctional facility. When in 2000 she became one of the first faculty members of the Mark & Huldah Buntain School of Nursing, her mission field changed again. Betty showed a passion for helping young Christians develop nursing skills that would enable them to express Christ's love in a tangible way to people who are in pain or in a health crisis.
Her greatest joy was to take students to Kolkata, India, in 2003 and 2004, enabling 18 nursing students to see firsthand the works started by Mark and Huldah Buntain, in conjunction with the Mission of Mercy organization.
Betty showed great enthusiasm for every aspect of life and ministry in India. She loved the people, the customs, the press of the crowds in the market place, the worship in the local Assemblies of God church, the fresh mangos, and the hot chai tea. I cherish a memory of her laughing with two small children this past February when they reached their hands into our taxi cab begging for coins -- which Betty provided with a smile. Betty once confided to me that her ideal job would be to teach nursing for Northwest University, but to be stationed in India to always be ready to receive another group of nursing students from Northwest.
Back on March 14, 2000, I wrote the following notes to myself regarding Betty Rairdan's impressive characteristics: "credentials, experiences, confidence, caring attitude, Christian commitment, flexibility to travel." Now that she has traveled home to her Jesus, I still have the same impressions of Betty. It is only that those impressions have been strengthened by five years of experience with this colleague and friend. By now I expect that she is checking out the road maps for heaven to know where she can: explore, ride a camel, connect with nursing students, rejoice with released prisoners, and drink chai tea with people from India.