BVRMC Honors Nurse Joni Boese After 44 Years of Service
Joni Boese, who earned her nursing degree in 1982 and spent 44 years at BVRMC, was honored at a retirement celebration in February.
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center celebrated the retirement of registered nurse Joni Boese in February, closing out a career that stretched across 44 years and began when she earned her BSN in 1982.
The Storm Lake Times Pilot noted the recognition in a community item published March 12, 2026, marking the end of a tenure that made Boese one of the longest-serving nurses in the medical center's history.
BVRMC's tribute to Boese comes at a moment of broader institutional recognition for the Storm Lake hospital. In January, CEO Rob Colerick and Board of Trustees leader Richard Lampe accepted the 2026 Large Business Excellence Award on behalf of BVRMC at the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation's 15th Annual Business Recognition event, held at the Clay County Regional Events Center before a record-breaking crowd. The nomination cited BVRMC as "an exceptional asset to the community and the Corridor, a major employer, and an innovative leader in the health care field," and specifically highlighted the hospital's 2025 work with Ronald McDonald House, through which it dedicated and equipped a room for families of children facing extended stays.
The recognition of individual nurses like Boese reflects a culture that BVRMC has formalized through the Storm Lake Nurse Honor Guard, a program sponsored by the Buena Vista Healthcare Foundation. The Honor Guard provides ceremonial recognition for nurses, attending memorial services within a 30-mile radius of Storm Lake. Members wear traditional white uniforms, nursing caps, and blue capes. At those services, the Honor Guard performs the Final Call to Duty, a ritual in which a Nightingale Lamp is lit and the nurse's name and license number are called out three times with a request to report to duty. After the third call, the license number is announced as retired and the lamp is extinguished. The ritual's closing words capture the weight of a nursing life: "Their tasks are complete. Their duties are done. They are going home."
Families wishing to request the Honor Guard's presence can contact Katie Schwint at 712.213.8601 or marketing-info@bvrmc.org.
Boese's 44-year career, beginning the year she completed her BSN, spans the bulk of BVRMC's modern history as a regional healthcare anchor for Buena Vista County.
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