Born on September 26, 1931 in Bulgaria, Stephany (Haimov) Grasset studied philosophy and history at the Sorbonne in 1949. She immigrated to the US, and from there to Canada in 1961. She graduated with a BSc from Louisiana State University in 1953, and obtained a diploma in Public Health Nursing from the UBC School of Nursing in 1968. She did an internship in the Palliative Care Hospice at Victoria General Hospital in Montreal.
Her many positions in nursing included adolescent counselling, instructor in nursing, and district nurse for the Victoria Order of Nurses. She was also a nurse practitioner and a public health nurse. In the latter part of her career, especially, she was involved in work, research and teaching in the psychiatric field. From 1977-1985 she instructed in the Psychiatric Nursing program at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), during which time she also gave lectures at UBC’s School of Nursing and other institutions. From 1985-1986 she consulted in Psychiatric and Geriatric Nursing for the World Health Organization in Barbados, and from 1989 she instructed in Acute Psychiatric Nursing in BCIT’s RN diploma program. She was also President of the Registered Nurses Association of BC in 1980-1981.
Stephany died at age 90 on March 17, 2022 in Vancouver, she is survived by children Antoinette and Stephen, and grandson Rylan. She’ll be remembered for being well-read and outspoken, surrounded by a diverse circle of good friends. As her in memoriam tribute so aptly stated: “She ranted, but she cared.”
With appreciation to BC History of Nursing Society
https://bcnursinghistory.ca/stephany-grasset-1931-2022/
http://bcnursinghistory.ca/archives/biographical-files