Sister Mary was born July 7, 1936, the oldest of seven children. Her family lived with Grandpa on his 80-acre farm near Winsted, Minnesota. Her dad chose to be a mechanic, carpenter, and electrician.
“Although he would have liked to have had a son, he was very pleased with me,” Mary said. “I was a tomboy, and I did not play with dolls. Most of my time was spent outside with tricycle or bike, playing softball, slingshot, and sledding. I liked going down to the creek or out to the woods. At age 12, I was already able to drive my dad’s jeep onto the country roads.”
The School Sisters of St. Francis were well established in Winsted, teaching grades one through twelve at Holy Trinity School. Sister Mary had no intention of becoming a nun. But in early spring of her senior year, she received a letter from Mother Corona suggesting that she join the School Sisters of St. Francis. She wondered if Sisters Alexander and Johannella, first cousins once removed, may have been involved? Something inside her decided to accept.
In early September, when Sister Mary was about halfway through her education studies at Alverno College, St. Mary School in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, was in desperate need of a second-grade teacher. She was taken to the parish on Sunday evening, given three books, and told to begin her work the next morning.
There were 66 students waiting for her. She did her best, trying to keep order. But one third of her students failed the tests at the end of the school year. Sister Alexander took her to Alverno College’s summer school for more training. She then willingly taught second, third, and seventh grade for seven more years.
In August 1965, Mother Clemens assigned Sister Mary to teach English to freshmen at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee. At that time, Pius was home to approximately 2,600 students, about 40 School Sisters of St. Francis, about 11 Pallottine priests, and more than 50 lay teachers. She taught English for seven years and also helped with the school’s audio-visual equipment. In the early 1970s, she was put in charge of a large printing press and later high-speed copiers. She was always pleasant, willing, and helpful with copying and printing.
After enjoying working with teachers at Pius for 55 years, administrators finally suggested that she should retire and relax! Computers had begun to take over much of the paper printing, but Sister Mary stayed on as a part-time volunteer for two more years.
Sister Mary is well known for her artwork. “One snowy day in the ‘70s, I sat with a pen and pencil and began drawing pictures of houses,” Sister Mary remembered. “People saw this and asked if I’d draw their house large enough to be framed. Over the next 35 years, I went to many art fairs, met many people, and made detailed drawings of homes.”
In her 80s, Sister Mary noticed that she was slowing down with mild cognitive impairment and short-term memory loss. She had never seen Our Lady of the Angels Convent before moving here, but she said, “I think God made this choice. I am still an introvert, calm, and grateful, well cared for, living one day at a time.”
Sister Mary vividly remembers being a first-year Novice and seeing a picture on the wall near the entrance to St. Joseph Convent Chapel with the words of John 15:16: “…you have not chosen ME, but I HAVE CHOSEN YOU.” How grateful we are that God chose Sister Mary as we wish her a very happy 70th Jubilee!