Past Sigma President Fay Bower passes away

We are deeply saddened to announce that Dr. Fay Louise Bower, DNSc, RN, FAAN, past Sigma President (1993-1995), passed away on 19 August 2023.

Dr. Bower had a distinguished career with numerous accomplishments and accolades. For nearly 70 years, she touched the lives of patients, students, and fellow Sigma members. After beginning her career as a staff nurse, Dr. Bower entered academia in 1966, when she became an assistant professor at San Jose State University. Her career continued to grow from there, as she was named to various academic positions, including the dean of the University of San Francisco School of Nursing. Throughout her career, she taught at universities across California and as a visiting professor in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Beirut, Lebanon. She also published numerous books and articles.

In 2001, Dr. Bower started working at Holy Names University as the Department of Nursing Chair. During her term, she started the Nursing Administration and Clinical Nurse Education tracks, the 2+2 program, and the LVN to BSN programs. In 2011, she received the president’s medal and was named Professor and Senior Counsel for Nursing.

In addition to being Sigma President, Dr. Bower held leadership in many other professional nursing organizations. She was a Sigma Foundation for Nursing Billye Brown Fellow and Virginia Henderson Fellow, as well as a member of Nu Xi at-Large Chapter.

We thank Dr. Bower for her dedication to Sigma and the greater nursing and healthcare communities.