Norma June (Blank) Nunn, 84, Captain, US Navy – Nurse Corps – (Retired) passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at the Grand Islander in Middletown, RI.
Born in Newport, RI on August 16, 1931, June was the daughter of Chief Boatswain, USN (Retired) Michael J Blank and Nora (Murphy) Blank. June was the loving wife of the late Captain Thomas Nunn, USN (Retired). June was actually born in the Breaker’s gardener’s cottage on Coggeshall Avenue when her mother didn’t make it to the hospital in time.
June attended St. Augustin’s School and graduated from St. Catherine’s Academy in 1949. June attended the University of Rhode Island for one year before transferring to Mass General Hospital School of Nursing where she graduated with honors in 1954. June then received her BSN from Boston College in 1959 where she was Vice-President of her class. June was then head nurse at Boston Floating Hospital in the pediatric department and taught at Mass General Hospital for three years before continuing her studies at Catholic University where she was a Pell Scholar and graduated with a MSN in Administration of Nursing Education Programs in 1964. She then worked for three months at the Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC where she taught student nurses.
Captain Nunn began her naval nursing career in 1964 when she reported to Newport, RI for a two month indoctrination program. She then reported to Jacksonville, FL Naval Air Station as a Lieutenant Senior Grade in the US Navy Nurse Corps, where she provided medical training to corpsmen. A Vietnam Veteran, June did two tours on the hospital ship USS Repose (AH-16) off the coast of Vietnam in 1966 & 1967. She then served in the U.S. Naval Hospital in Great Lakes, IL. In 1972, June was the Military Director of the Naval Women’s Officer’s School here in Newport, RI. In 1979, June transferred to the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. and then served as Assistant Director of Nursing Services at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Charleston, SC. In 1981, June was stationed at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan as the Director of Nursing Services until 1984. June’s final tour was at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, where she retired in 1988.
Captain Nunn was a distinguished and highly decorated Naval Officer earning the Meritorious Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Star, Vietnam Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, and the Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star.
At retirement, June settled in Satellite Beach, FL where she was a volunteer officer with the Satellite Beach Police Department.
June returned home to Newport in 2010.
June was predeceased by her brothers P. Frank Blank of Palm Beach, FL and Commander Arthur E. Blank, USN (Retired) of North Palm Beach, FL and her sister Anicetta “Teady” Blank of North Palm Beach, FL.
Her Irish wit, caring ways and ever-ready smile will be missed by her loving brother Michael J. (Mickey) Blank Jr. (Middletown, RI), her many nieces, nephews, cousins, her many, many friends, her great nieces and nephews, and her great-great nieces and nephews who all greatly adored her.
Fair winds and following seas.
Visiting hours will be from 4pm – 7pm on Monday, October 5th at the O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10am on Tuesday, October 6th at St. Augustin’s Catholic Church in Newport. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Grand Islander Activity Fund (333 Green End Avenue, Middletown, RI 02842).
