Ten years ago, when Barbara “Barb” Partin celebrated her 70th birthday with her nursing friends, she made a decision.
“It just came to my mind while celebrating,” said Barb, who lives in Springfield Township. “It was the most odd thing I’d never want to do.”
She told everyone: her two sons, her four granddaughters, and of course, her numerous nursing friends.
“She told us, ‘If I’m still kicking when I’m 80, I’m jumping out of a plane,’ ” said granddaughter Amanda Partin of Louisville, Ky.
On Saturday, less than a week after her 80th birthday, Barb, a retired nurse who worked at Akron General for more than 40 years, stood with her closest friends and family in an open field at Skydive Rick’s in Petersburg, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border. They watched as several men jumped from a plane 10,000 feet in the air, free falling at first, and then releasing their parachutes in sync, twisting and twirling until they plunked on the grass.
Barb was up next. Her doctor gave her the OK to check a tandem jump (strapped to an experienced skydiver) off her bucket list; however, when she was examined at Skydive Rick’s, she received disappointing news.
Skydivers must be able to lift their legs up high enough so that when they land, their tail ends receive the impact rather than their legs, knees and feet. Barb was able to lift them, but not quite high enough, and was told she couldn’t jump as a precaution.
Her loved ones smothered her with consolation.
“You’re still my hero,” said both Lisa Smith and Glenn Swartz, two of Barb’s friends who came to support her.
Local hero
Barb has served as a hero of sorts to hundreds of people across Akron. She retired just three weeks ago after serving as a nurse for 58 years, caring for both newborns and the elderly.
She began her nursing career in 1958 in the labor and delivery unit of Akron General Hospital, where she worked for 33 years helping to deliver hundreds of babies and at one time, serving as head nurse. She also worked in the operating room for part of her career.
“She still talks about [nursing] everyday,” Amanda said. “She was always the kind of person to help others before herself.”
Barb says she’s often approached by patients in the grocery store who thank her for delivering their child. Her work even crossed generations, as she once delivered a baby for a woman she delivered years prior.
Barb Partin was there during a nurse’s strike at Akron General in the ’80s. While hundreds of nurses halted their service, she pushed forward, working 12- and 16-hour shifts with little assistance.
“We were always taught about patient care,” Barb said. “I couldn’t turn my back on patient care.”
Even after retiring in 2000, Barb couldn’t stay away from nursing. She started right back up again as a geriatric home care nurse with for six more years.
“She’s bubbly, she’s bright, she’s quick,” said Lisa Abraham, one of Barb’s many friends she made from years of nursing. “She is confident and stern with her work, but not mean. I can’t think of one negative thing to say about her.”
Moving forward
Barb Partin was disappointed at not being able to take the plunge, but got to work quickly brainstorming an exciting alternative.
“I have a lot of things to do, and I don’t let age stop it,” she had said a few days prior.
Barb pondered the idea of parasailing or zip lining with her granddaughters. She was there for each of their births, as well as every Christmas, despite a hectic schedule working nights.
“I know you’ll find something else to do,” her friend Swartz said after embracing her.
She flashed him a smile with flushed cheeks.
“Oh, definitely,” she said.
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com.
