Not many people can say they had their career path pinned down at the age of 5. Then again, not many people can say they’re like Becky Provine, who always knew she was destined to be a nurse.
The determined 5-year-old did indeed grow up to have a successful career in the medical field. In 2007, she became the chief nursing officer at Emory University Hospital and added the title of vice president of patient care in 2011. In honor of her 42 years of nursing excellence, she was also named the 2013 Georgia Nursing Leader by the Georgia Organization of Nursing Executives.
The award “represents outstanding leadership for nurse leaders who have really made a difference,” said Susan Grant, Provine’s longtime friend and the chief nursing executive of Emory Healthcare. “She was a rock for a lot of people. Whenever you needed her, she was there.”
Those who knew Provine said titles, achievements and awards weren’t as important to her as the people she cared for. She was always putting the needs of others before her own, acting as a willing servant to her patients, said Marilyn Margolis, chief nurse vice president of operations at Emory Johns Creek Hospital.
“She was very focused and patient-centered, and she wasn’t anything but humble and determined to do the right thing,” Margolis said.
Rebecca “Becky” Cole Provine of Conyers died Tuesday from complications related to breast cancer at Emory University Hospital. She was 64. Her funeral was held Thursday at Yellow River Baptist Church in Lilburn. Following the service, her body was transported to her hometown of Oklahoma City, Okla., and buried at Resthaven Memorial Gardens. Scot Ward Funeral Services, Conyers was in charge of arrangements.
Provine did all she could to make patients happy. She helped develop Emory’s Patient and Family Resource Center, which provides families with extra support while a loved one is hospitalized. She believed that being a nurse meant taking responsibility for more than the patient alone, said her husband of 33 years, William “Bill” Provine, who is himself a registered nurse.
“She believed it was always more than just the patient,” he said. “She strongly advocated for family presence at the bedside, and she championed the concept of the Patient and Family Resource Center. She was extremely caring, always doing things at the hospital to contribute to patient and family care.”
Whether at the hospital, at home, or at the church where she taught a women’s Sunday school class, Provine’s caring personality made a difference in the lives of everyone who knew her.
“She lived life the way we’ve all been taught to live but don’t necessarily do it,” Grant said. “We’re all in a better place because we crossed paths with Becky.”
In addition to her husband, Provine is survived by a daughter, Dr. Allison Dianne Provine of Nashville, Tenn.; a son, Andrew Cole Provine of Snellville; and a brother, Lewis Steven of Oklahoma City, Okla.
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