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Nurse Diane Lewis Anstey: A Tribute
May 2, 2025
The following tribute was written by Paulette Benoit, RN, and shared with the Registered Nurses’ Union. It honours her dear friend, colleague, and mentor Diane Lewis Anstey RN, whose extraordinary life and legacy have touched the hearts of many. With Paulette’s permission, we are honoured to share her heartfelt words below. Diane’s full obituary can be found here.
This afternoon, I heard the tragic news of Diane’s passing. The shock and sadness that engulfed me was overwhelming.
More than 30 years ago, when I had just started working in ICU, Diane was a phenomenal mentor who took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. She was always happy to impart her knowledge to any and every newbie who came into ICU. For anyone who worked with Diane, she was endearingly known as “Chief.” While she chuckled at being called that, she undoubtedly earned the title.
Her willingness to share her wealth of knowledge, her leadership during stressful situations, and her consistent example of quality patient care empowered new staff to take ownership of their work and fostered a deep sense of responsibility. These are just a few of the phenomenal qualities she instilled in me.
I vividly remember her literally taking me by the hand and saying, “Come on, little girl,” as she brought me to the bedside of the sickest patients. She showed me countless technical skills and explained exactly why they were done in such a way. Diane’s understanding of the science of nursing was vast—but as it’s often said, nursing is as much an art as it is a science. Diane embodied both.
During the quiet moments of an afternoon ICU shift, Diane would take this “little girl” by the hand, and off we’d go to our ventilated patients to “fluff them up.” She taught me to provide gentle hygiene care, as only the “powder queen” could. She showed me how to massage pressure points with lotion warmed by our hands before gently applying it to fragile skin; how to flip a pillow to give a patient the cool side; how to comb their hair and refresh their linens before family came in to visit. That, to me, is the epitome of holistic care.
They say the essence of a strong nurse’s legacy is a multi-faceted tapestry woven from professional achievement, compassionate care, ethical conduct, and lasting impact on others and the profession itself.
Diane was not just a phenomenal nurse—she was an amazing human being. She loved her family fiercely, worked hard, and laughed even harder. While so many of us mourn her loss, we also celebrate the extraordinary life she lived and the profound impact she had on so many of us.
Godspeed, my dear friend.