She was the youngest of three children in the family and the only girl. Her parents and brothers, Rev. Augustine, OCD and John all preceded her in death. Upon graduating from Commercial High School in Brooklyn she worked as secretary to the Registrar of the Pratt Institute, an Engineering and Art Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
On September 8, 1949 at the age of 21, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita and was received into the Congregation March 20, 1950 and final profession July 26, 1955. Her education included a B.A. degree from St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, KS and her Master’s degree in business and hospital administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. At that time she was one of the few women other than Mother Mary Anne McNamara to become a member, then a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives.
The ministries in which she worked included business offices at hospitals in Ulysses, Pittsburg and Halstead in addition to being the Business Manager at St. Joseph Hospital in Wichita. She was Administrator of Congregation hospitals in Dodge City, Ponca City, OK, and Vice-President, of Administrative Services, Mercy Hospital, Watertown, NY where she was responsible for organizing, directing and controlling daily operations and was a consultant and Budget Analyst for other hospitals during her professional life. Service to her congregation included six years as a member of the General Council of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita. During her later years she continued her life of service as an accountant for the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging in Kansas City, KS. In 2001 and semi-retired, she served as the accountant to establish St. Joseph Adoption Ministry in Kansas City.
In addition to members of her religious congregation she is survived by her nieces, Veronica Gittrich and Barbara Mies, many friends and colleagues.
Homecoming will be 3:00 p.m., the Wake at 6:30 p.m., Friday, August 10, 2018. The Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, August 11, 2018 followed by interment in the convent cemetery, all at the Wichita Center 3700 E Lincoln, Wichita, KS 67218. A memorial Mass will also be celebrated in Kansas City, KS, on August 23, 2018. Memorial contributions may be made to Dear Neighbor Ministries, Inc., or the Congregation of St. Joseph Retirement Fund, 3700 E. Lincoln Wichita, KS 67218.
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