Vera Elizabeth Cardin

Vera E. (Broadbent) Cardin, 88, formerly of Laws Brook Road, Concord, Mass; Homosassa, Florida and 236 Park Street, Attleboro; died on Sunday, September 11, 2011 at the Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley in Littleton, Mass. She was the beloved wife of the late Wilfred Walter Fid Cardin to whom she was married on May 6, 1945 and shared many wonderful years of marriage until his death on January 7, 2009. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts on February 6, 1923, she was the daughter of the late Hugh and Vera (McIsaac) Broadbent. She was raised and educated in the City of Attleboro and was a 1940 graduate of Attleboro High School. She earned her nursing degree from the former Sturdy Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Attleboro in 1943. As a registered nurse, Vera was a trailblazer and role model for many Sturdy Memorial Hospital graduates and other nurses that she interacted with over the course of her memorable 40 year plus career in nursing. Vera worked at Sturdy Memorial Hospital for many years as an evening supervisor and it is during this time of her nursing career that she made a name for herself at Sturdy Memorial. She was an active member of the Sturdy Memorial Hospital Alumnae Association for many years. In the mid-1960s when Sturdy Memorial opened up the ICU, Doris Berry the Director of Nursing saw Veras potential and appointed her as the first Head Nurse of the ICU. This was a pivotal point in Veras nursing career and many of you who knew her at that time can remember the influence and impact she had on how the ICU was designed and the unit was managed at that time. When she left Sturdy Memorial to go to the Miriam Hospital in Providence to help manage the ICU unit she was given a Paul Revere bowl from the medical staff at Sturdy which has always been one of her most treasured possessions. Vera then decided to switch her focus in nursing and went to work at what was then called Country Haven Nursing Home in Norton as the Day Supervisor. She finished her illustrious nursing career at Texas Instruments as an employee health nurse who did the ear testing for TI. Veras career in nursing was indeed one that was memorable and did make a lasting impression on many nurses in the surrounding Attleboro community. She was the epitome of what a professional nurse should be. A resident of the greater Concord area since 2008, Vera and Fid moved from their Park Street, Attleboro residence in 1993 to Sugarmill Woods in Homosassa, Florida where they resided for fifteen years prior to returning to Massachusetts. Vera was a longtime communicant of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Attleboro where her children received their sacraments and Vera and Fid remained active members until moving to Florida. She will be lovingly remembered for hosting many social gatherings where everyone was welcomed and she consistently showed her concern about others and remained a lifelong giving person. The home on Park Street was a focal point of gathering for both friends and family who lived in the Attleboro area. Vera and Fid were well known for their dinner parties and their famous meat pie parties at the holidays. She epitomized the role of grandmother as she doted on her ten cherished grandchildren and was a constant pillar of strength and support for them. All of them remember how giving she was to all of them on a very consistent basis. Vera was also a highly competitive bridge player who loved to host bridge tournaments in Attleboro and in Homosassa. She also loved to knit and was well known for her famous mittens, when she lived in Attleboro every year she had a mitten tree at the Christmas boutique at St. Johns. Vera and Fid loved to travel the world with their friends, her most favorite spot was Hawaii. Golf was also something that both Vera and Fid enjoyed, they loved to go on golf weekends with their Attleboro friends. She leaves four children: Suzette Cardin Barden of Redondo Beach, California; James J. Cardin of South Hampton, New Hampshire; Elise M. Erikson of Acton and Betsy Walworth of Chelmsford; 10 grandchildren; one great grandchild and several nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Helen Broadbent Wielding and the late Lillian Broadbent Caruso. Visitation is respectfully omitted. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, October 24, 2011 at 10:00 AM at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 133 North Main Street Route 152, Attleboro with the Rev. Richard Roy, Pastor, officiating. Burial will follow in St. Johns Cemetery, West Street, Attleboro. Following church and graveside services celebrating her life, family and friends will be welcomed to join the family for a time of continued fellowship and refreshments in the Hospitality Center of St. John the Evangelist Church located adjacent to the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in her name and honor may be made to the Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Massachusetts, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. To send the family an expression of sympathy, please visit an on-line guest book at www.dyer-lakefuneralhome.com . Arrangements are under the direction of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro. (508) 695-0200.