Lucinda "Cindy" Harmon

Lucinda "Cindy" Sue Harmon passed peacefully at her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma surrounded by loved ones after battling cancer for four years. She was no stranger to life-threatening illnesses in her role as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse for her entire career. In an unexpected role reversal, the expert care giver became the one requiring intensive care. Cindy was born into a loving Christian home to two wonderful parents and three older brothers. Her brothers adored her and took it upon themselves to look after and protect their little sister. She was raised in the northwestern Oklahoma town of Goltry as a devoted Mennonite in her parent's church that her grandfather had helped to build. Cindy later followed her brother Joel and his wife Gloria to Tulsa and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance in 1975 from the University of Tulsa. But along the way, Cindy caught the nursing bug while working as a nurse's aide at St. Mary's in Enid during summer breaks. In fact, she told her parents she was called to Nursing to take care of others. After graduation she worked as a nurse's aide at St. Francis in Tulsa until she had saved enough to attend Baylor Nursing School in Texas, from which she graduated in 1980. She went to work full time at her beloved St. Francis where she became a Critical Care Registered Nurse in the ICU. Cindy was the first recipient of the Nurse Mentor Award. She retired after serving critically ill patients and their families for 37 years. Countless lives were saved or changed because of her loving care and true concern for her patients. Cindy was the epitome of nursing, and widely known in the Tulsa Medical Community as an excellent nurse and fierce patient advocate. She was never intimidated, nor would she back down from what she felt was the right thing to do for her patients. She would challenge questionable orders when necessary, and unflinchingly pursue action on behalf of patients whose symptoms were being missed or ignored. Countless patients owe their lives to Cindy's sharp, critical thinking and well-honed assessment skills. Cindy's patients and their families held a special place in her heart. She had a gift for remembering people and being remembered by them many years later. She made a lasting impact, even if the patient had a poor outcome. Cindy's personal care of her patients was second to none. Her co-workers had a phrase for it - "Harmonizing". Her patients had the most thorough baths, oral care, and shampooing imaginable. When Cindy cleaned up her patient and got them "fluffed and puffed", that was the Cindy Harmon "Harmonizing" treatment! She took great satisfaction in her patients being clean and comfortable because this was her ministry. She served God through caring for the sick and dying while preserving their dignity and humanity. Cindy was a member and alumnae of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity (SAI) since 1972. She was active on local, state and national levels, including attending national conventions of SAI. In addition, she was a member of Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Fraternity and was a Baylor Life Time Alumni. Cindy was a member of Boston Avenue Methodist Church and stayed involved in the Greater Tulsa Area Critical Care Nurses Association and the American Association for Critical Care Nurses. She has served as a Volunteer Nurse for the Tulsa Run, for Mended Hearts and for the American Lung Association of Oklahoma Asthma Camps where the kids gave her the honorary title of "Nurse Cindy". She also volunteered for the Visiting Nursing Association where she administered flu shots. Cindy is survived by her husband and life companion of 31 years John Harmon, brother Mervin Johnson and his wife Martha of Greenwood IN, sister-in-law Gloria Johnson of Tulsa, nieces and nephews Glenda, Connie, Becky, Timothy, Richard, Gregory, Kevin, Troy and a host of great nieces and nephews and extended family. She is predeceased by her parents Walter and Evalena Johnson, brothers Robert and Joel Johnson and niece Tara Johnson-Mize. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Baylor School of Nursing or the Tulsa Chapter of SAI. To give to Baylor online: Go to Baylor.edu/give Then select Louise Herrington School of Nursing for the Unit Then select Louise Herrington Endowed Scholarship Fund in Nursing for the Fund Check the Additional Info box and enter, "In memory of Lucinda Sue Harmon" If sending donation by mail send to One Bear Place #97027, Waco, TX 76798. Donations will help deserving students who need financial assistance to continue their pursuit of a Baylor nursing education. To give to SAI, send donations to: Sheryl Halliburton, treasurer Tulsa Alumnae Chapter Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity 4113 East 42nd Street Tulsa, OK 74135-03505 Donations will go into the scholarship funds which benefit TU students (members of SAI) Visitation will be from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at Moore Funeral Home - Southlawn Chapel, 9350 E 51st, Tulsa, OK, 918-663-2233. Services will be 10:00 AM, Thursday, March 8, 2018 at Boston Avenue Methodist Church, 1301 S Boston Ave, Tulsa, OK.

Lucinda "Cindy" Harmon

December 10, 1952 - March 2, 2018