Virginia Marion Leishman
February 26, 1922 – September 2, 2017
Virginia Leishman died peacefully at home on September 2, 2017, at the age of 95. Preceded in death by her parents, Robert Leishman, Sr. and Lorine Lagrave Leishman, brother Robert, John and James, and niece Victoria. Survived by her nephew Craig.
A native San Franciscan, Virginia graduated from Balboa High School in 1940. When the call came to serve, Virginia joined the United States Army. Upon graduating with a Bachelors Degree from St. Joseph College of Nursing, she was commissioned as a Lieutenant. In January 1945, she served in the Pacific Theatre and tended to injured allies. Her tour of duty led her to Japan where Virginia was one of the first nurses who worked the aftermath of the atomic bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She carried out all her assigned duties with great dedication. She was awarded the World War II Victory Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal-Japan. Virginia was honorably discharged in April, 1948.
Upon returning to San Francisco, Virginia continued to work in nursing. Her defining moment in life is when she started working at Laguna Honda Hospital. In 1953, Virginia was appointed the Director of Nursing. Her legacy is the forty-four years she worked at the hospital. During those years, Virginia was known to work 80 hour weeks. She was a tireless advocate for patients’ rights with an emphasis on quality of care. While under the care of nursing staff, all patients were treated equally, with dignity and kindness. Patients were also allowed to take an active role in their own health care. Virginia greatly appreciated the dedicated nursing staff that assisted her in carrying out this mission. Her work did not go unnoticed. She was the recipient of numerous awards from the nursing profession, humanitarian organizations, and the Catholic Church. These awards included the Phoebe Hearst Woman of the Year Award and the White Mass Award. Virginia stayed involved with Laguna Honda twenty years after retiring.
Virginia was an avid animal lover and advocate. Whether it be stray cats roaming the grounds of Laguna Honda, elephants in a rescue in Tennessee, or the numerous dogs she adopted in her lifetime, she believed all living creatures were sacred. Her love of animals was so well-known that Laguna Honda dedicated their therapeutic petting zoo in her honor. Instead of a service, Virginia requested donations be made in her memory to either of her two favorite charities: The San Francisco SPCA, 201 Alabama Street, San Francisco, Ca 94103 or The St. Anthony Foundation, 150 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102.