A veteran Beaufort Memorial Hospital nurse, remembered for her kindness, died this week
A beloved Beaufort Memorial Hospital nurse with over two decades of service died this week, the hospital confirmed on Friday evening.
“It is with a heavy heart that we communicate the passing of Sybil Freeman,” said the hospital’s CEO Russell Baxley in a statement. Freeman died on June 22 at Roper Hospital in Charleston, according to her obituary. She was 62 years old and lived on St. Helena Island.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office said Thursday a 62-year-old St. Helena Island woman died at a Charleston hospital of a coronavirus-related illness, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reported. The coroner does not reveal the names of COVID-19 victims.
Freeman, 62, was a registered nurse who joined Beaufort Memorial in 1997 and worked on the third floor medical-surgical unit, according to the hospital.
In the wake of her death, co-workers past and present were among the many people who left messages on her obituary guestbook page describing the impact Freeman had at the hospital.
“Sybil was the one who made us a team. She had a smile that never failed to put you at ease no matter how hectic the day,” read one message left by a nursing professor who started her career on Freeman’s unit.
“Sybil’s loss is deep and will leave a deep hole in the nursing community,” read another post, that remembered Freeman for “her heart and gentleness.”
A physician who worked with Freeman wrote, “she made me feel special like I was the best doctor in the world. She cared for her patients like they were her family.”
This week, the hospital’s chaplain led a moment of silence with staff to honor Freeman’s passing.
“We will remember Sybil for her kindness, compassion and dedicated service to her patients,” Baxley said. “She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.”
