Winifred Breitbach
March 24, 1932-Nov. 20, 2020
Winifred T. Breitbach,
88, native of Minot and
best known as Wini, died
November 20, 2020, in
Houston, Texas, where
she had lived for over fifty
years. She was a nurse,
and carved out a career
that was marked by
achievement and recogni-
tion, especially as a
research nurse.
She was born March 24,
1932, in Minot, a daughter
of Melvin and Barbara
Aus. Reared in Minot, she
graduated from St. Leo’s
High School in 1950. She
attended and graduated
from the St. Alexius
School of Nursing in
Bismarck, and began a
career that spanned more
than fifty years.
At a young age, she be-
came a nursing supervisor
at St. Joseph Hospital in
Denver, Colorado. She
moved to Houston in 1966
and worked at the Metho-
dist Hospital in the Texas
Medical Center where she
obtained a cardiovascular
nursing certification. She
was night supervisor at
that facility’s cardiovas-
cular intensive care unit,
and played a significant
role in the acquisition of
the first heart transplant
performed in the United
States.
She shifted into the
department of neurology
at Baylor College of Medi-
cine as a research nurse in
1972 and pioneered cere-
bral revascularization stu-
dies involving intracranial
bypass surgery. She later
joined neurological clini-
cal services at Baylor. She
continued there for the
balance of her career,
working with Dr. Victor
M. Rivera beginning with
care in general and vascu-
lar neurology.
She subsequently con-
centrated her work on the
disease of multiple
sclerosis, contributing and
pioneering in research on
early therapies in the
understanding of the
mechanism of MS. At the
same time, she provided
extensive hours to patient
care.
She was one of the ori-
ginal members of the na-
tional MS Nurse Special-
ist Program, receiving the
additional title of MS Cer-
tified Nurse. She was the
first MS nurse at the Max-
ine Mesinger MS
Comprehensive Care
Center, inaugurated in
2003. For almost four de-
cades, she took care of
thousands of MS patients.
She also contributed to
the MS neurological edu-
cation and training of
nurses, medical students
and residents.
The International Or-
ganization of MS Nurses
recognized her work as an
MS nurse pioneer. For her
volunteer work she also
was the recipient of
several recognitions and
awards by the American
Heart Association.
In 2017, she lost her
home to hurricane Har-
vey. She and her dog,
Gizmo, were rescued by
an airboat. After that, she
moved to an area near
Sheboygan, Wisconsin,
where family members
live. Eventually, she re-
turned to Houston where
she since had lived. She
was a longtime member of
Corpus Christi church in
Houston.
Surviving are a
sister-in-law, Dawn Aus;
nieces and nephews, Pa-
tricia Morris and her hus-
band, Chuck, Nancy
Zehren, Diana Bauer and
her husband, Dennis,
Mary Arneson and her
husband, Jason, Tony Aus
and his wife, Denise, and
Douglas Aus and his wife,
Monique.
Survivors also include
close friends Dr. Victor
Rivera and his wife Cristi-
na and a number of
great-nieces and
great-nephews.
She was preceded in
death by her parents, a
sister, Germaine, and a
brother, Alan Aus.
Following cremation
her ashes were to be sent
to Mequon, Wisconsin,
for interment in Resurrec-tion Cemetery.