Jean Steel Obituary

Jean E. Steel, passed away peacefully on May 14, 2026, in Falmouth, MA.

Jean was the daughter of Dr. David and Ruth (Stewart) Steel. She spent her first years in Cleveland attending Laurel School. She entered Cornell University - New York Hospital School of Nursing, completing her studies in 1960. She earned her Masters and Doctorate at Boston University.

Her early years were with the Visiting Nurses Association of Boston, in the Roxbury and South End Districts, and the Framingham Visiting Nurse. Jean was on the leading edge as she established a private practice in Cambridge as a nurse practitioner - one of the first in the country. She was the feature in a documentary, Portrait of a Nurse, which gave the nation a first view of the role of nurse practitioners and guided many subsequent nurses into that advanced practice. Believing it was such a wonderful, rewarding way to practice nursing, she also practiced part-time at Boston City Hospital Outpatient Dept. for 10 years. She developed the first master’s program for nurse practitioners at Boston University School of Nursing spending 15 years on that faculty. She went on to develop a similar program at the University of Connecticut. Her last position was as a Professor at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston. She retired after 45 years of practice and was awarded Professor Emeritus by that program. She was instrumental in developing a master’s program in nursing at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

Throughout all these years, Jean was active in the American Nurses Association. She held many positions in the state as well as nationally, serving as President in Massachusetts and on the Board of Directors of the ANA. She was instrumental in establishing the national guidelines of practice for nurses in a variety of specialties. She represented the ANA as a member of the National Joint Practice Commission (and ANA/AMA project). She published widely and was a frequent keynote speaker across the country. She consulted on nursing programs nationally and internationally. She helped establish graduate programs in the United Kingdom, St. Vincent, the UAE, India, and China. Jean received many awards for her pioneering practice and as an educator. She was recognized by her peers as a Fellow when inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 1994.

She was an avid sailor, loving everything about the sea and was always thrilled to be sailing downwind on Waquoit Bay in the Royal Scot. She came to Cape Cod in 1949 and was able to retire in the family home some years later. She volunteered at the Falmouth Service Center.

Jean is survived by cousins and many dear friends.