Obituary: Vytas S. DurickasBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's HospitalObituary: Vytas S. DurickasBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's Hospital

Skip to contents

Obituary


Vytas S. Durickas, Oncology Nurse

BWH mourns the loss of Vytas S. Durickas, RN, beloved father and compassionate nurse in the Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant Float Pool, who died Feb. 8, 2010. He was 57.

“He will be sorely missed by everyone. He was a great co-worker and friend,” said Eileen Molina, MSN, RN, nurse manager of Hem/Onc, Tower 5AB3, who worked with Mr. Durickas for nearly eight years.

After spending many years in the security business and as a private investigator, Mr. Durickas turned to nursing. “It might have been his second career, but helping people was his first passion,” said Robert Chicarello, BWH’s director of Security and Parking and a friend of Mr. Durickas for almost 25 years.

During his nearly eight years at BWH, Mr. Durickas touched the lives of co-workers and patients alike. He was always there to help colleagues any way he could. Many co-workers fondly remember him as someone who always smiled and had the right words to encourage patients through often difficult chemotherapy treatments.

A Newton resident, Mr. Durickas dedicated himself to patients, even when he struggled with his own health issues. His caring personality often made an impact on patients. One of those former patients is Ronni Gordon, a writer who blogs about running and battling with leukemia. She recently wrote of her memories of Mr. Durickas.

“Over many years and through four bone marrow transplants, he always took that extra step. His kindness and sense of humor helped me get through many tough spots,” she wrote. “I’d panic over some new detour on the road to recovery, and he’d calm me down with a mix of knowledge, a talent for putting things in perspective, and, always, something funny.”

An avid outdoors person who enjoyed hunting, Mr. Durickas was an active member of the Boy Scouts of America and Lithuanian Scouts and was dedicated to his four children.

He is survived by a brother Daniel; two sisters, Teresa and Rita; and his four children, Joseph, Michael, Kevin and Catherine. A funeral service was held Feb. 13 at Our Lady’s Church in Newton followed by burial at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Roslindale.