Obituary: Pendarvis, Jill (Garland) Captain, U.S. Air Force
Jill was born in Seattle, Washington on September 28, 1931 to Homer and Anna (Jurich) Garland.
The family moved to Spokane in 1940.
Jill graduated from St. Augustine’s Grade School in 1945, Holy Names Academy in 1949, and Sacred Heart School of Nursing in 1952.
She was awarded a full scholarship as an alto member of the Women’s Quartet in the Gonzaga University Women’s Glee Club where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1955.
Jill began her career as a clinical instructor and head nurse in the Operating Room at Sacred Heart Hospital in 1955 and in 1960 was hired to be the scrub nurse and assistant to Dr. Hugh C. Keenan, MD.
In 1964 Jill was sworn in as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps and stationed at Dyess AFB, Texas.
In 1966 she was given an Honorable Discharge after marrying 1Lt.
Creighton Pendarvis, USAF and giving birth to daughter, Tracy.
In 1968 Jill returned to Spokane, WA and was hired as a Medical Surgical Instructor for the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education/W.S.U.
In 1978 Jill earned a Master of Arts in College Teaching from Eastern Washington University along with tenure as an Assistant Professor at ICNE-WSU.
Jill was a member of the Washington State Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau National Nurse Honor Society, and the Association of Operating Room Nurses.
Her teaching career involved working with hundreds of students in lecture, clinical settings and her most favorite, the Operating Room.
She was published in several nursing journals, worked on research projects with colleagues and gave presentations to Operating Room personnel at national AORN seminars.
Jill remained a part-time OR staff nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Center in addition to her teaching career to stay current with her surgical skills until 1994.
Her claim to fame was being a cast member in the very first Sacred Heart Medical Center Heart Follies which included the staff and then CEO, Sister Peter Claver.
In 1994 Jill retired as an Associate Professor Emeritus from WSU and began her journey traveling with her family to several USAF bases around the country and Hawaii.
She was the surrogate USAF grandmother known as Grandma Jill.
Jill continued part-time work as a nurse in minor emergency clinics, and completed her career working for the U.S. Veterans Bureau contractor, Computer Science Corporation in Virginia, where she wrote case studies for a VA Reimbursement Criteria Manual.
Jill was preceded in death by her father Homer, mother Anna and brother John.
She is survived by her daughter Tracy June Pendarvis; grandchildren Enrique and Aitanna Ferrez; son-in-law, Lt. Col. Christopher Ferrez, USAF (Ret.
); sisters Mary Jane O’Neill and Lola Anne McLellan; sister-in-law Paula Garland and many nieces and nephews.
Jill expressed her deepest gratitude to her many nursing colleagues, Dr. Joni Nichols, MD; Dr. Jason Call, MD; Mary Foust ARNP; the Cancer Care NW Staff and Dr. Michael Wukelic, MD for years of excellent care and direction.
A Memorial Mass for Jill, with full Military Honors, will be held at 9:30 a.m. on October 19, 2013 at St. Aloysius Parish.
We invite those who serve to come in uniform and be recognized.
Officiating will be her cousin, the Rev.
Roger O’Brien, and concelebrated by the Rev.
Charles D. Skok and Fr.
Greg Vance, SJ.
A reception will follow at Knights of Columbus and interment at Holy Cross Cemetery, Spokane, WA.
Jill personally requested any donations be sent to the following in lieu of flowers: Gongaza Preparatory School Choir and Fair Share Fund, E. 1224 Euclid Avenue, Spokane, WA 99207; WSU College of Nursing Undergraduate Scholarship Program, P.O.
Box 1495, Spokane, WA 99210.