Nancy Kostel-Donlon, who was born in Flushing and moved to Hicksville, L.I., when she got married in 1991, died Sept. 17 from a ruptured brain aneurysm. She was 52.
Born July 10, 1958, she had just celebrated her 30th anniversary as a nurse. Her most recent accomplishment was helping establish a stroke treatment center at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, L.I. Her last official act was to donate her organs.
Kostel-Donlon began her nursing career at the Hunter College-Bellevue School of Nursing in Manhattan and was a member of its class of 1980. She focused her professional goals in the field of critical care nursing. From 1984-98, Mary Immaculate Hospital (Trauma I) gave her the experience to become a critical care and trauma nurse specialist for Catholic Medical Center in Brooklyn and Queens.
She joined the nursing department at St. Francis Hospital in 1998. In 2006, Kostel-Donlon was named the stroke coordinator of St. Francis Hospital. A hospital-wide Neurological Rapid Response Team was developed because of her.
Kostel-Donlon held a master’s in nursing and was in the final phase of completing her master’s in business administration.
She is survived by her husband, Bill Donlon; children Alex, 16, and Brianna, 13; two brothers; and sister.
A wake was held at Dalton Funeral Home in Hicksville, Sept. 20 and 21. Funeral services were held at Holy Family R.C. Church in Hicksville Sept. 22.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Alex and Brianna’s education fund. Donations should be made out to Brianna Donlon. Contact Dalton Funeral Home for details at 516-931-0262.
