GRACE THELMA LUSBY / 1914-2003
She helped improve
elderly care on Maui
WAILUKU -- A pioneer in nursing care for the elderly on Maui has died.
Grace Thelma Lusby died Sept. 12 at the Marquis Care Home in Wilsonville, Ore. She was 86.
Lusby served as the administrator of Hale Makua from 1956 to 1978 and led the nonprofit group through a rebuilding program that transformed Malulani Hospital in Wailuku from an old men's home into a skilled-nursing home.
She also helped Hale Makua receive national accreditation as a Medicare-certified home health agency.
"Her legacy of community service will live on in the programs and services at Hale Makua," said Tony Krieg, chief executive officer of Hale Makua.
For a short period after leaving Hale Makua, she served as the first executive director for Hale Mahaolu, a Maui nonprofit agency assisting seniors in independent living.
Lusby was selected as Woman of the Year in 1978 for the Soroptimist International Founders Region, which includes California and Hawaii.
She was born in Lansing, Mich., and received her nursing degree from Lutheran Hospital.
She served 5 1/2 years as a nurse in the Navy and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander before being honorably discharged and moving to Maui.
Lusby is survived by daughters Lynne Plaugher and Virginia "Ginger" Allard; brothers Milton, Paul and Roger Noble; two granddaughters; and four great-grandchildren.
A private service was held yesterday in Oregon. Scattering of ashes will take place at Mount Hood at a later date.
