Louise McDougal (March 6, 1940 – February 27, 2024) died peacefully at home on February 27, 2024, one week shy of 84. The middle of three children, she was born in Buffalo, NY, to Swiss parents Hans and Emma Walker. They moved to the small town of Attica, NY, when Louise was 8, and she loved growing up in the countryside with her two trouble-making brothers. Shy and hard-working, she graduated second in her class from Attica High School in 1957 and won a full scholarship to Bellevue School of Nursing in New York, NY.
Her nursing education was thorough and tough, and the friendships she made at Bellevue were lifelong. Though Louise was quiet, when in "nurse-mode" she was fierce in the protection of her patients and would stand up to anyone to give the best care.
Louise started her long nursing career in the ER at Bellevue in 1960, and other than a brief sojourn to San Francisco, worked at Bellevue until 1967, when she decided to explore her Swiss heritage and moved overseas. She lived with her cousins Nellie and Charlie Ruetsch who became a second family, and then worked as a nanny and a nurse all over the country, becoming fluent in both German and French. Her relationships with her Swiss family continued to flourish and grow for the rest of her life.
In 1970 she moved back to the U.S., settling in Rochester, NY, and working in the NICU and newborn nursery at Strong Memorial Hospital. She joined a ski club, and met Charlie McDougal, an instructor of design at Rochester Institute of Technology. They bonded over music, skiing, and books, and frequently played guitar and sang together at weddings and events, as well as informally in the lodge after a day of skiing. They married in 1974 and welcomed a daughter in 1977.
After Charlie was killed by a drunk driver in 1979, Louise became heavily involved in anti-DUI groups, especially Rochester Against Intoxicated Driving (RAID) as a victim’s advocate. She went back to school and obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing and worked in community health. In 1988 the family moved to Vermont and Louise continued working part-time in community health, and at Sugarbush Resort and at Project Harmony. She also volunteered extensively at Warren Elementary and Harwood Union, advising SADD and the newspaper. In 1994 she returned to Rochester to work in community health and retired to Warren in 2006.
Louise loved children, and in her "retirement" worked on a few games for kids, including Skiingo, and revised the health program for kids she developed in graduate school. She worked part-time at Warren Elementary School and adored spending time with the neighborhood kids, baking cookies and her special Swiss bread.
Louise is survived by her daughter, Sarah, of Warren, VT, her brother Hans Walker, of Attica, NY, her sisters-in-law Rose Walker of Williamstown, NY, and Mary Ellen McDougal of Fairport, NY, her non-biological “sisters” Alma Richter of New York, NY, and Jeannette Ruestch-Walker of Bern, Switzerland, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She is pre-deceased by her parents, her husband Charlie, and her brother Ronald Walker.
A celebration of life will be held in the summer. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to MADD or a local animal shelter.
