Sister Mary Anges Procopio RSM

Sister Mary Agnes was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Samuel and Mildred (Rantt) Procopio on June 19, 1923. She had one brother and two sisters. In Cleveland, Ohio, Sister attended Our Lady of Good Counsel and Berea High School.

Sister felt a call to religious life and entered the Sisters of Mercy in September 1952. She made her novitiate in Cincinnati, Ohio. At reception she was given the name Sister Mary Cecil. She made final vows in 1958 in Cincinnati, Ohio. After Vatican II Sister went back to her baptismal name.

In 1960, she graduated from Our Lady of Cincinnati College with a degree in Education and Language arts with certification as an elementary teacher. For the next 21 years Sister Agnes was a primary teacher in various schools throughout Ohio including Ascension in Cleveland, Our Lady of the Rosary in Cincinnati, St .Mary’s in Springfield, Holy Angels in Sandusky and St. Catherine’s in Toledo, Ohio. During this time she helped countless students in their preparation for the sacraments.

In 1976, Sister Agnes became a patient visitor at Mercy Hospital Tiffin, Ohio. She served in this ministry for 26 years retiring in 2002. During this time, in her gentle compassionate way, she touched the lives and hearts of hundreds of patients. Not only the patients, but also helped their families and other members of the Tiffin community. Everyone knew the gift of sister’s powerful prayers. She was known for her soft little voice and contagious smile.

In retirement Sister Agnes continued reaching out to others and praying for their needs. Sister Agnes was the 1989 recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award by the Chamber of Commerce of Tiffin, Ohio and was honored in 2014 to receive the Catherine McAuley Life Time Achievement Award on behalf of Mercy Hospital in Tiffin.

She is survived by the members of her Sisters of Mercy Community, her sister Catherine Gease of El Cajon, California; nieces and nephews and their children. She is preceded in death by her parents Samuel and Mildred Procopio, sister, Millard Shields and brother, Richard.

Visitation will be Wednesday, January 27, 2016 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Thursday until the funeral at St. Bernardine Home, 1220 Tiffin Street, Fremont, OH, 43420. Funeral services will be Thursday January 28, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. in the St Bernardine‘s chapel. Burial will follow at Our Lady of the Pines Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Sisters of Mercy St. Bernardine Home.