She was born in 1949 in Corpus Christi, Texas and moved to Jupiter in the early 1960’s.
Belinda was preceded in death by her mother, Betty Bozeman and her step-father, Marvin Bozeman, as well as her Grandmother Dorothy Brooks.
She is survived by her precious family- her forever love, husband Michael, treasured son Cliff (wife Kate and grandsons James, Collin, Liam), soulmates identical twin sons Kevin (wife Katie, grandchildren Ruby Marie, and Penn) and Brian.
She also leaves her sisters Benita Rippeon (Bill), Shelah Bozeman Crowley (John), brother Allen Bozeman, Marvin Bozeman’s daughter Tracy, as well as several nieces and nephews, and very dear friends who supported her in her fight.
Belinda graduated from Jupiter High school in 1967, received a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Florida in 1971, and was chosen as a member of the National Honor Nursing Society Sigma Theta Tau.
She joined the Army Nurse Corps on a scholarship program to incentivize nurses to serve during the Vietnam conflict. She served transitioning soldiers and their families stateside at Ft. Stewart, Georgia. She worked in various aspects of nursing including obstetrical, med-surg, and caring for young soldiers traumatized by their experiences in Vietnam. She was honorably discharged from the Army as a Captain with incredible experiences working in a one story wooden hospital built in World War 2.
After the Army, Belinda helped open a new hospital on Hilton Head Island, SC. She then moved to a teaching hospital working ICU and ER and eventually worked open heart surgical research at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD.
Post-divorce, she returned to Jupiter to raise her young son Cliff.
In 1982, she married Mike Heisler and began their wonderful life in Jupiter Farms.
She worked 25 years at Palm Beach Gardens hospital as a critical care nurse, teacher, interventional radiology nurse, starting the open heart unit, and a very brief time in administration and part time instructor at Palm Beach Community college.
She was the first nurse at Gardens hospital to be nationally certified in critical care by the National Association of Critical Care (AACN). She reached her 25 year mark as AACN certification before retirement in 2007 after 35 years of nursing.
Her intensive love was her family, her passion was critical care nursing, her philosophy was nursing needed the best at the bedside and that was where she served and taught. “No patient should have to choose between compassion or competency”. She was known as a fierce patient/family advocate.
Her down time was spent with her husband supporting distance running at Jupiter Christian School, volunteering as a school nurse, helping develop and supporting the JCS Booster Club and extensive travelling with her husband and children.
She gives thanks to her wonderful friends for helping her and her husband during the grieving process and learning to live your life one day at a time in God’s grace.
The family would like to thank Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg and all of the wonderful nurses and staff at the Cancer Center of South Florida and Dr Barry Miskin and the entire “Sunflower Team” at Trustbridge Hospice.
Services for Belinda will be held at Jupiter First Church, 1475 Indian Creek Pkwy, Jupiter, FL 33458, on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 10am. A Celebration of her Life will follow from 12:00pm to 3:00pm, on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at Aycock -Riverside Funeral and Cremation Center, 1112 Military Trail, Jupiter, FL.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Food Bank of PBC, ARC of Palm Beach County, Jupiter Christian School or Jupiter First Church.
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