VILLANOVA, Pa. – Paula Louise Michaud was born June 13, 1954 to Merle and Reina Michaud in Augusta, and was the second born of six children with a French heritage. She was a graduate of Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale and then went on to attend Boston University School of Nursing where she graduated summa cum laude. She attended University d’Aix-Marsaille, in Aix-en-Provence, France from ’74-’75 and then studied at the University of Maine from ’75-’76. From ’81-’83 Paula went to the Harvard School of Public Health to study Occupational health and in ’85 she returned to Boston University School of Nursing for her Masters of Science, Community Health Nursing with subspecialty in occupational health. Many years later (1996) she received her Ph.D from Boston College School of Nursing magna cum laude. Her love for nursing went beyond what anyone can put into words; it helped shaped her life.

During her time in Boston, Paula met the love of her life, Dr. Hank Simms and they were married in 1987. They have been blessed to live in and grow together in many different states including Maryland, Rhode Island, New York and Pennsylvania. Paula and Hank have three wonderful children whom they’ve always put first. While Paula had many interests, she always made family a priority and was an extremely involved, loving, and caring mother and wife.

Paula’s professional life was centered around nursing and was extremely lengthy. She worked as a case manager for home care, and hospice patients while in Providence, R.I., Washington D.C., and Randallstown, Md. She worked throughout the Boston area in many different hospitals as a staff nurse for patients with critical care needs in the SICU, MICU, CCU, RICU, as well as working as a clinical specialist in orthopedics and rheumatology at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. She also taught as a primary nurse and clinical preceptor for new nurses coming into the hospital. Additionally, she was a staff nurse in medical/surgical units at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Since she spent the last 16 years of her life in Pennsylvania her work over the past 10 years has largely been dedicated to the Villanova College of Nursing and the Einstein Medical Network Home Health and Hospice organizations. Paula loved teaching nursing at Villanova and always looked forward to taking her students out into the field for real life experience. She coupled teaching at Villanova with nighttime and weekend work for Einstein doing home healthcare visits. Paula loved learning about her patients in all aspects of their lives and never left a stone unturned when it came to her patients. She was able to not only teach but mentor many of her students as they went on to choose which part of nursing they would pursue for their careers.

Paula was part of various associations during her professional life including American Nurses Association, Massachusetts Nurses Association, Maryland Nurses Association, Rhode Island State Nurses Association, New York Nurses Association, Sigma theta Tau, Gerontological Society of America, America Public Health Association, National Association of Orthopedic Nurse, and the Arthritis Health Professionals Association. She was an extremely involved and intelligent woman in many aspects of the nursing profession.

Paula’s view on life was always about helping others and putting the needs of others before her own. She always had a smile on her face and was a glass half full kind of woman. She was extremely involved in volunteer work but also had many interests and hobbies. Aside from nursing, she loved to cook, bake, dig in her fabulous garden, go to museums, travel, go to the theater, play bridge, pickle ball, dragon boats, host wonderful parties and dinners, just to name a few. She was full of life, there was never a dull moment with Paula.

Paula passed away on Wednesday Oct. 16, 2019 at home with immediate family. She will be sorely missed by all who loved her, but always remembered.

Paula will live on through her husband, Hank Simms; daughters, Elizabeth and Renee Simms, son, Benjamin Simms; parents, Merle and Reina Michaud; sisters, Jan Michaud and Donna Maynard, brothers, Edmund, Jim, and Steve Michaud; and nieces and nephews, Kate, Kevin, Anne, Emma, Abigail, Nathan, Nicholas, Christopher M., Christopher B., and Jack.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Paula Michaud’s name can be made to either the Villanova College of Nursing or the Einstein Medical Center Home Health and Hospice Center. The links are, www.villanova.edu/makeagift and https://secure.einstein.edu/site/Donation2

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