Newton Clinic bids farewell to long-time nurse

The famous line at the end of the film Casablanca references “the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” July 31 saw the inverse of that, marking the end of a beautiful partnership when nurse Beverly Dean had her last day at Newton Clinic, wrapping up more than 30 years working alongside Dr. Paul Ruggle as his primary nurse.

Dean grew up on a farm near Griswold, and in 1974, she graduated with her LPN degree from Iowa Western Community College. For the next decade, she worked for several organizations, including Mercy Hospital in Clinton and Adair County Hospital in Greenfield. When she and her husband moved to Newton in 1984, she started working at Newton Clinic and had been there ever since.

“When I started, the clinic was home to Drs. Moles, Wittenberg, Ruggle and Foster,” she said. “There were only five or six nurses on staff, and we rotated with different providers every day. I watched and learned from some great coworkers. I have worked with many dedicated and wonderful people in the past 34 years, and I will miss each and every one. We attended weddings, funerals, births and graduations. I have grown up and older here, we have raised families, laughed and cried together.”

Dean will be relocating to Kansas City to be nearer to her adult children. She does plan to renew her nursing license for an additional three years “in case I get bored and want to work part-time ... or not.”

To learn more about Newton Clinic or to schedule an appointment, call 641-792-2112.