Rose Ann Stephens, a career nurse and administrator in several Toledo-area nursing homes who was later recruited to become a state nursing-home inspector, died Wednesday in St. Luke’s Hospital. She was 97.

Dr. Robert Jeffrey Stephens, one of Mrs. Stephens’ four children, said she succumbed to a heart attack she suffered while at home at the Elizabeth Scott Community, an assisted-living and nursing center in Springfield Township.

A 1940 graduate of the St. Vincent School of Nursing, the future Mrs. Stephens began her career in nursing homes when that industry was largely unregulated, Dr. Stephens said.

“She enjoyed working with the older people in the nursing facilities,” starting at the Colonial Nursing Center on Glanzman Road in South Toledo, her son said.

But as regulatory requirements intensified, he said, she pursued the training and certifications that became necessary to be a nursing home administrator — and found strong demand for her qualifications even after she was ready to retire.

“They’d make her an offer she couldn’t refuse,” Dr. Stephens said to explain why Mrs. Stephens “retired” from three nursing homes.

Then, when she was well into her 60s, the Ohio Department of Health — whose Office of Health Assurance and Licensing, Bureau of Long-Term Care oversees nursing homes in the state — came calling.

For the state, she did certification reviews, ensuring that nursing homes complied with state rules regarding staffing and facilities — “stuff that was all in its infancy,” Dr. Stephens said.

“She got to see the other side,” he said, explaining that as an inspector, one of her main goals was to help nursing homes provide better care for their patients.

“She was a very fair person,” Dr. Stephens said.

That job took her all over Ohio, and the extensive travel requirement was what prompted her to quit as she got older, the son said.

But even after that, she became a part-time administrator at Sunset House facilities in the Toledo area, filling in when full-time staff called in sick or went on vacation, for several years.

“She had the qualifications they needed. You can’t just put anybody in those positions,” said Diana Stephens, Dr. Stephens’ wife.

Born to Ladmer and Margaret Fenton on July 10, 1919, in Swanton, she graduated from Swanton High School before enrolling in nursing school.

She met Robert N. Stephens through a mutual friend and they married in 1946 following his return from military service during World War II.

The Stephenses particularly enjoyed traveling to Ireland and, after a granddaughter who studied French in college began extended periods residing in Paris, also visited France often.

Dr. Stephens said his parents loved Ireland because “they really enjoyed the people over there — even if it was a rainy day, they’d talk about how beautiful the day was.”

Both had Irish ancestry on their mother’s sides, but Dr. Stephens said there were no relatives remaining in Ireland for his parents to visit.

She was a lifelong member of St. Joan of Arc Church and doted on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mr. Stephens died in 2007.

Mrs. Stephens is survived by her sons, Robert Jeffrey, Barry, John, and Thomas Casey Stephens; daughter, Ann McCallister; sister, Margaret Ottgen; 11 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today in the Coyle Funeral Home. A funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the Historic Church of St. Patrick.

The family suggests tributes to a charity of the donor’s choice.

First Published September 30, 2016, 4:00 a.m.