Miriam McAlister Lundgren

Miriam McAlister Lundgren was more than a nursing executive in Camden and Philadelphia in the 1960s and 1970s.

She wrote in an autobiography that she was "the first woman ordained Elder in the Southern New Jersey Conference" of the United Methodist Church.

It was in that post-nursing role that she impressed Louise Harkins, a longtime friend.

"My husband and I are in ministry" in the Make A Joyful Noise Ministries in Medford and Pleasantville, Harkins said, "and we connected at pastoral lunches" for folks from several denominations in the 1990s.

"She was a very loving friend to me," Harkins said.

"A very classy lady, I have to say, even at 91."

On Wednesday, Sept. 17, Mrs. Lundgren, 91 of Voorhees, died at Virtua Voorhees medical center.

From 1954 to 1958, Mrs. Lundgren was director of the practical nurse education program at Camden County Vocational School in Pennsauken.

The two met there in 1958, when Harkins was a teacher's assistant in the culinary arts department. They lost contact for much of 40 years, but at the pastoral lunches, "I reconnected with her in the '90s."

Her husband, Michael Harkins, is the pastor of the Medford ministry.

Mrs. Lundgren told her of becoming pastor at a United Methodist church in Indian Mills in the 1980s.

And, Harkins said, Mrs. Lundgren told her that "she would do a healing service in different Methodist churches."

Born in Audubon, Camden County, Mrs. Lundgren graduated from Audubon High School in 1941 and earned a bachelor's in nursing at the New York Hospital of Cornell University in 1946.

She began her nursing career in 1946-47 as a clinical instructor at the West Jersey Hospital School of Nursing in Camden, now part of the Virtua Health System.

After time off to begin raising her family, Mrs. Lundgren resumed her career in 1954 at the Camden County Vocational School and then returned to West Jersey Hospital in 1958, where she was a part-time surgical staff nurse and writer of a nursing procedure manual.

After serving in 1960-62 as associate director of the school of nursing at West Jersey, she became director of nursing service and education at the former Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia until 1970.

She made time to earn a master's in educational administration at Temple University in 1966.

With that expertise, from 1970 to 1974 she was assistant vice president for nursing at Methodist, helping to oversee a budget of $2.5 million.

In the 1974-75 school year, she was coordinator of continuing education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, an assistant professor in that program in 1975-77, and director of the center for continuing education at Penn's nursing school until 1979.

A granddaughter, Kristin Cordova, said that after retiring from nursing and teaching, Mrs. Lundgren was ordained by the United Methodist Church.

Her autobiography states that she was a pastor at several churches, from Medford to Ship Bottom.

And for 16 years, Mrs. Lundgren wrote, she was a volunteer chaplain at Virtua Marlton medical center.

Besides Cordova, Mrs. Lundgren is survived by her daughter, Hope Bond; a sister; five other grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Her husband, William L. Lundgren Jr., died in 1988.

A visitation was set from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22, at the United Methodist Church, 29 Warwick Rd., Haddonfield, before an 11 a.m. funeral there. Interment is private.

Donations may be sent to Interfaith Caregivers, 242 Kings Hwy E., Haddonfield, N.J. 08033.

Condolences may be offered to the family at kainmurphy.com.