Prof. Linda Barnes (fifth from left) with other Shoreline Community College nursing faculty members in 2011.

Prof. Linda D. Barnes, a mainstay in the nursing program at Shoreline Community College for the past 24 years, has passed away.

Prof. Linda Barnes

Barnes, 57, died the evening of July 16, 2014, following a nearly year-long battle with cancer, according to family members. She is survived by her husband, Larry, and daughter, Shannon. Services are pending.

“I’ll always remember her marvelous smile,” said Gillian Lewis, the academic dean who oversees the nursing program. “Linda taught labor and delivery to literally thousands of students who became registered nurses and are now working in the area.”

Barnes came to Shoreline in 1990 as an associate faculty member to teach perinatal care. In 1998, she applied for a tenure track positon and was awarded tenure in 2001. Barnes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Western Reserve College, Cleveland, in 1979 and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University in 1980. She earned her Master’s in Nursing from the University of Washington in 1990.

Nursing program director Lynn Von Schlieder said Barnes’ passing is like losing a member of the family. “Her office was right where everyone walked by and she always had an open door,” Von Schlieder said. “All the students, all the faculty would stop by to chat. She was very personable.”

Von Schlieder said Barnes was also very passionate about perinatal care. At Shoreline, that part of the program is called “nursing care for the child-bearing family,” Von Schlieder said. “That’s largely due to Linda’s perspective about care, not just details of delivery.”

Shoreline’s nursing program has a well-earned reputation as having a high bar for admission and being rigorous for those who do get in. Much of that, Von Schlieder said, is due to Barnes insistence on setting and meeting high standards.“Linda did site visits to other programs for the National League for Nursing,” Von Schlieder said. “She brought that experience and knowledge back to Shoreline to help make us better.”

Interim President Daryl Campbell and incoming president Cheryl Roberts were notified of Barnes’ passing while they were attending a statewide retreat for community and technical college presidents. “Our thoughts are with Linda’s family, friends and all those who were touched by this wonderfully compassionate and dedicated nurse, educator and human being,” Campbell said.

Roberts said she’s touched by the strong sense of community at Shoreline: “Losing a key faculty member is difficult, losing a friend is devastating. The way that Shoreline comes together to support one another is what makes us such a special place to work and to learn”