Dominican Sister of Peace Joan Marie (James Michael) Hill (88) died at the Ohio State East Hospital in Columbus, OH, on December 21, 2019.
A native of Dorchester, MA, Sr. Joan Marie was one of seven children born to Marie Furlotte and Douglas Hill. Given her love of crafts and group activities, she must have been a wonderful sister to her siblings, as she was a wonderful Sister to those of us in her Congregation for more than 68 years.
Sr. Joan Marie studied at St. Catharine College in St. Catharine, KY, and continued her studies in Theology at DePaul University. Her first ministry was in teaching, and she shaped the hearts and minds of elementary school students in Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and Massachusetts for nearly 12 years. But a brief time working at Sansbury Care Center stirred an interest in nursing. She believed that “Nursing brings the church’s ministry to the lost, the last, and the least among us.”
Sr. Joan Marie continued working as an aide at Sansbury while she studied to earn her LPN from the Appalachian School of Practical Nursing in Lexington, KY.
After earning her LPN, Sr. Joan Marie brought her ministry of care to patients at Mary Immaculate Hospital, Sansbury Care Center, and the Nazareth Home, all in Kentucky, as a staff nurse.
Even after retirement, Sr. Joan Marie continued to serve the “least among us” as a volunteer to the elderly at the Nazareth Home, the St. Catharine Motherhouse, and the Sacred Heart Village.
Sr. Joan Marie entered a ministry of prayer and service at the St. Catharine Motherhouse in 2013, joining in many Community activities. Sisters throughout the Dominican family knew Sr. Joan for her famous bourbon ball candies and her welcoming hospitality.
When Sister Joan Marie moved to the Columbus Motherhouse in 2017, she immediately became an active member of the Community and a willing volunteer. Her final ministry of prayer and presence was a blessing to all.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Douglas and Marie Furlatte Hill, her brothers, James, Fred, Douglas, Raymund, a step-brother, James DeWolfe and her sister Veronica Hamel. She is survived by several nieces.
A Vigil of Remembrance Service was held at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse Chapel in Columbus, Ohio on December 27, 2019. The funeral liturgy was held at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse Chapel on December 28, 2019. Sr. Joan Marie was interred at St. Joseph Cemetery by Egan Ryan Funeral Home.
Memorial gifts in Sr. Joan Marie’s memory may be sent to:
Dominican Sisters of Peace
Office of Mission Advancement
2320 Airport Dr. Columbus, OH 43219.