In Memory of Barbara J. Limandri
September 28, 1948 – December 18, 2023
Barbara Limandri, PhD, PMHCNS-BC died in Milwaukie, Oregon on December 18. The second of five children born to Air Force Master Sgt. Francis Limandri and Dorothy Limandri, she was born in Westover, Massachusetts and was raised in Hampton, Virginia. She graduated from Hampton High School in 1966. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, her Master’s degree from The Catholic University of America, and her doctorate from University of California, San Francisco. As a child she was very active in the Girl Scouts, working as a camp counselor and eventually earning the Girl Scout highest award, then called First Class, now called Gold Award. Her love of cooking, which continued throughout her life, began as a child.
Barbara became a psychiatric-mental health nurse in 1973. Her work and influence in the field of psychiatric-mental health nursing cannot be overstated. She became an American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) member in 1984 and served in many leadership roles within the organization for decades. She served multiple terms as the APNA Oregon Chapter president. She was instrumental in developing the APNA Competency Based Training for Suicide Prevention. She traveled throughout the country training thousands of nurses to prepare them to address and manage suicide risk. She was instrumental in the APNA Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute program committee, and was a sought-after speaker regarding psychopharmacology. She received the 2020 APNA Award for Distinguished Service, in recognition of her commitment to APNA and PMH nursing throughout her career.
As an educator, she taught at West Virginia University and was later a tenured professor at both Oregon Health and Sciences University and Linfield University in McMinnville Oregon. She had a reputation for holding students to high standards in their education and was a passionate advocate for PMH nursing within undergraduate curriculum. She was a tireless mentor, not hesitating to carve time out of her schedule to discuss research, treatment challenges, or career ideas. She did not limit her mentorship to students enrolled in her classes or places of employment; she offered her time and expertise to any student or nurse seeking information or growth regarding PMH nursing.
Barbara was a prolific researcher with over 100 publications. It was also important to her to be able to teach PMH nursing from the perspective of a practicing nurse. Her clinical interests were eclectic and focused on suicide prevention, psychopharmacology, and providing care to persons with borderline personality disorder and women who experienced abuse. She maintained a private clinical and consultation practice and also worked with adolescents and adults with borderline personality disorder at Portland Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
When Barbara retired, it did not slow her down. She maintained Professor Emerita status with Linfield University School of Nursing and, while continuing her nurse leadership roles, also regularly consulted with the Oregon State Board of Nursing. She was an active volunteer in her faith community at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, working in their hunger ministries and social justice ministries. She was also heavily involved in service and advocacy within her retirement community in Milwaukie, Oregon. It would be common for Barbara to bring her beloved standard poodles along to any number of her varied activities, including her clinical practice, as some of her poodles were trained as therapy dogs.
A memorial will be held March 14 at 2:00pm Pacific at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. The service will be live-streamed for virtual attendance. To give in her memory, send Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 147 NW 19th Ave, Portland, OR 97209, and please designate for hunger ministries or social justice.
