Barbara Ann Durand

Barbara Ann Durand, 88, of Phoenix, AZ passed away on November 8, 2025 at her home after a long battle with the intractable pain of spinal stenosis. She remained gracious under trying conditions, and determined to be and do all she could to the end.

Barbara was born on October 10, 1937 in Hempstead, NY, the second of six children born to Marie G. Casey and E. Ronald Durand. She was preceded in death by her beloved brothers, Ron and Mike and is survived by her brother Dennis (Tatjana), sister Mary and brother James (Toni).

She attended Nazareth Academy High School in Rochester, NY before the family moved to Salem, Ohio where she finished her last year at Salem High. She then spent four years at the College of St. Teresa in Winona, Minnesota, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. A Master’s of Science in Maternal Child Nursing followed at the University of California, San Francisco and her doctorate was bestowed at the University of San Francisco. She was serious about getting an education, an ideal instilled in her by her parents from birth.

Her trailblazing career took her from her staff nursing position at Stanford Medical Center to teaching positions at the University of California San Francisco, Cornell University School of Nursing in New York City and then as the Department Chair of Maternal Child Nursing at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. Along the way she co-authored a medical textbook, was a Robert Wood Johnson fellow and continued to increase awareness of the need for first class nursing.

In 1993, she was appointed Dean of the College of Nursing at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, a position she loved and worked hard for until her retirement in June, 2004.

While at Arizona State, Dr. Durand elevated the Nursing School’s status with her innovations and expansion of programs designed to better prepare nurses for work in the 21st Century. Under her leadership, the program received its first ever ranking (top 15%) from US News and World Report. She instituted a PhD program in nursing, increased the endowment substantially and increased enrollment, a goal necessary to fulfill the pressing need for nurses nationwide. She had season football tickets and was very proud when a male nursing student made the team.

Barbara was deeply committed to the nursing profession and held many leadership positions, both at the state and national level. One of her greatest accomplishments was co-founding the first pediatric nurse practitioner program at UC San Francisco. She directed that program for 18 years and she played a significant national role in advocating for and promotion of the nurse practitioner movement and advanced nursing practice. She testified in Congress and gave hundreds of speeches to doctors, nurses, educators, and medical care administrators all over the county.

Her national awards and appointments are far too numerous to mention here, but some deserve acknowledgement. In 2019, one of the highest honors anyone in her field could achieve was bestowed on her: The Barbara Durand Presidential Chair in Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. Barbara was also named a Living Legend in Nursing, one of 50 so named out of nearly 5 million nurses in America. She was named a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and was the only nurse to ever be elected to the Board of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association. Her accomplishments were legendary.

She often said that she was created by her loving home environment created by her grandmother, Anna Casey, and her parents, Ron and Pat Durand. It was rich with the values of honesty, hard work, respect and compassion for others. The other constant was laughter, something Barbara loved and did often. She was thrilled that those same values seem evident in the next generation and she stayed interested and involved with her nieces and nephews, cousins and their offspring. Family was her first love and foundation for all she did

Barbara was an incredible sister, friend and confidant to her five siblings, including them in so many wonderful and joy filled events. She was fiercely loyal and very generous with her time, her knowledge and assets to those who had any need. After retirement, she was able to fulfill her love of adventure and traveled the world, making new friends, often taking family with her on amazing journeys. She added incredible intellect and decency to the world. She was something special and will be forever missed.

Calling hours will be at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home at 4800 East Indian School Road in Phoenix on Thursday, the 20th of November from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 am on Friday, November 21st at Saint Gregory’s Catholic Church, 3424 North 18th Ave in Phoenix, AZ. Condolences may be expressed at www.whitneymurphyfuneralhome.com.

If you choose to make a donation, please consider Hospice of the Valley who provided loving care for her and her family.