Dr. Alice Irene McEachern, cherished mother, animal lover, and esteemed nurse educator, passed away peacefully on November 18th after a long and valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on July 28th, 1961 in Queens, New York, Alice was the daughter of Reginald and Gladys (Emerson) McEachern. She grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and graduated from Southwest High School in 1979.
Alice was devoted to the nursing profession, having began her career in various clinical settings in north Texas and southern Oklahoma. She later found her true purpose as an educator, most recently as the program coordinator for the RN-BSN program at Grayson College in Denison, Texas. She always found a way to connect with her students and ignite their passion for caring for others, and her talents and devotion will leave a lasting mark on each student who crossed her path. Alice was a graduate of East Central University (RN-BSN ’03), University of Oklahoma (MSN ’16), and American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Post University (DNP ’21).
Her two greatest joys in life were spending time with her beloved pets, and being outdoors in nature. She loved hiking and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her daughter and son-in-law, and was even able to visit Olympic National Park and the Washington coast a few months before her passing despite undergoing chemotherapy. She gave back to her community in numerous ways, including volunteering for the North Texas Nurse Honor Guard and the Denison Main Street Program.
Alice is survived by her daughter, Erin Hargrove, and son-in-law Joseph Savignano, of Seattle, Washington. She leaves behind her beloved dog, Marley, cats Halley, Fluffy, and Austin, and grandcats Finn and Arthur. She is preceded in death by her parents, nephew Dustin, dog Tux, and granddog Frodo. She is also loved and remembered by her sister, Lin Barnes, and husband J.D.; brother, Steve McEachern, and wife Denise; her sister, Barbara McEachern; nephew Sean Barnes, niece Michelle Collier, and nephew Chris McEachern.
An informal memorial gathering will take place at 11:00am on Monday, December 2nd, at the CWL Auditorium at Grayson College. In lieu of (or in addition to) flowers, please consider a donation to any of the following nonprofits:
The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research (lustgarten.org)
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org)
Home Hospice of Grayson County (homehospice.org)
Grayson College Foundation (grayson.edu/foundation)
Washington Trails Association (wta.org)
May Alice’s memory and legacy live on in the everyday kindness and compassion shown by the many people she’s impacted over the years.
