Grace Mitchell Livingston, former SSHS graduate, dies at 77

Grace Mitchell Livingston, a former South Side High School graduate who went on to become a nurse for over three decades, died on Feb. 20 at age 77 after a long battle with breast cancer.

Livingston was born on Apr. 27, 1939, in Rowland, N.C., but was raised in Rockville Centre.  She graduated from South Side in 1958 and received her nursing degree from the Harlem Hospital Center School of Nursing in New York City.  She married Leon Livingston in 1968 and initially settled in Winston-Salem, N.C., before moving to Durham, N.C., in 1978.

Livingston worked for over 30 years as a registered nurse in the Duke Hospital system.  She enjoyed working in health care and continued to work part-time in the field, even after her retirement. She was an avid reader, loved to travel with her husband of over 48 years and enjoyed being with family.

She is also survived by her two sons, Leon Otis Livingston of Memphis, Tenn., and Lionel Onesimus Livingston of Durham, stepson Phillip Taylor of Richardson, Texas, grandson Jalen Orion Livingston of Durham and sister Estella Mitchell of Rockville Centre.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.