Obituaries

Celebrate with us the lives of our Sisters, who have gone before us and have answered God’s call in her own unique way. If you are having trouble finding the obituary of one of our Sisters, please email info@oppeace.org for assistance.

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Dominican Sister of Peace Denise Macko

Dominican Sister of Peace Denise Macko

Dominican Sister of Peace Denise (Mary Lou) Macko, OP (93), died on December 25, 2022, at the Regina Health Center in Akron, OH.

Sr. Denise, the daughter of Mary Rock and Andrew Macko, was born in Youngstown, OH on October 7, 1929. She entered the Congregation in 1959, after earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Youngstown University. She made first profession in 1961 and took her final vows in 1967.

A true Dominican, Sr. Denise loved to study. She continued her education in science by earning a Master of Science in Chemistry with a minor in Physics from Notre Dame. She continued her education by taking courses and seminars at John Carroll University, the University of Akron, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio State University, and even Dijon University in France. She wanted to be as fully prepared as possible for her ministry as an educator.

Sister Denise ministered at Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School and at Our Lady of the Elms High School for more than two decades.

Of course, Sr. Denise’s talents were obvious to her Congregation, and she was elected to the Elms House Council as well as the Board of Elections. She was appointed to both the Admission and Formation Commission and the Finance and Development Commission.

Not content with teaching and serving her congregation, Sr. Denise also taught the metric system at the Summit County Society of the Blind and volunteered at Xavier Society for the Blind as a transcriber of Braille.

Sr. Denise returned to study computer science at the University of Akron while teaching there as well. She worked as a computer programmer for Tru-Fit in Medina for several years before helping the Akron Motherhouse and the Congregation with their computer installations.

Sr. Denise’s interests were as wide as her ministry, ranging from needlework to winemaking to golf. She loved the Cleveland Guardians, Browns, and Cavaliers. A true itinerant, Sister Denise also loved to travel and visited not only many areas of the United States but also London, France, Switzerland, and Quebec.

Sr. Denise entered a ministry of prayer and presence at the Regina Health Center in 2019.

Sr. Denise was preceded in death by her parents, brother, and two sisters. She is survived by several nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on January 5 at Our Lady of the Elms Convent Chapel. Per her request, Sister has been cremated.

To donate in Sr. Denise’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Denise Macko’s memory may be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr. Columbus, OH 43219 or oppeace.org.

Posted in News, Obituaries

Dominican Sister of Peace Michaeleen Henderson

Dominican Sister of Peace Michaeleen Henderson,

Dominican Sister of Peace Michaeleen (Martha) Henderson, OP (91), died on December 22, 2022, at the Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, OH.

A native of nearby Zanesville, OH, Sr. Michaeleen was born to Laura Paul and Orville Henderson on June 24, 1931. Sr. Michaeleen entered the Congregation in 1948, made first profession in 1950, and took her final vows in 1953. She served God and God’s church as a Dominican Sister for 72 years.

Sr. Michaeleen graduated from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Zanesville, and after her religious formation, earned her BS in Elementary Education from Ohio Dominican College.

She ministered as a teacher in New Haven, CT, Columbus and Steubenville, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA. She was aware that many of the students in her class came from low-income families, and Sr. Michaeleen made it her personal business to see that each child had what they needed to succeed. She had a room at the convent where she kept clothing for students in need, and would personally make sandwiches for any child who came to school without lunch or lunch money. She saw Christ in every young face and served each child with love.

As much as she loved education, Sr. Michaeleen felt herself called to health care. She ministered at the Saint George Hospital in Cincinnati, and at Mohun Health Care Center for more than two decades.

In 2015, Sr. Michaeleen entered a ministry of prayer and presence at Mohun, where she had served for so long. Although she had spent her life caring for others, she prayed often for “all the people who have helped me so many times along the way.”

Sr. Michaeleen was preceded in death by her parents, Orville and Laura Paul Henderson, her brothers, John, Robert, and Joseph, and her sisters, Betty Plants, Dorothy Dudas, Mary Caroline Johnson, and Dolores Mahon. She is survived by sisters, Donna Jardine and Celesta Maxwell, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A Wake and Vigil of Remembrance Service were held at the Columbus Motherhouse Chapel on December 29, 2022. The funeral liturgy was conducted at the Columbus Motherhouse on December 30, 2022. Sr. Michaeleen was buried with her Dominican Sisters at St. Joseph Cemetery.

To donate in Sr. Michaeleen’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Michaeleen Henderson’s memory may be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr. Columbus, OH 43219 or oppeace.org.

Posted in News, Obituaries

Dominican Sister of Peace Vincent de Paul Hutton, OP

Dominican Sister of Peace Vincent de Paul Hutton, OP

Dominican Sister of Peace Vincent de Paul Hutton, OP, (111) died on December 16, 2022, at Sansbury Care Center, St. Catharine, Kentucky. At 111 years of age and nearly 90 years of religious life, she was the oldest living woman religious in the United States.

Sr. Vincent de Paul was born Mary Magdalen in 1911. Her parents, Flora Yelton and Henry Hutton, raised eight children in Cuba, IL. After working for several years following high school graduation, she entered the Congregation in 1932, made her first profession in 1933, and took her final vows in 1936. Next year she would have celebrated her 90th jubilee of faithful service!

Sr. Vincent held a Bachelor of Arts degree in Math and Spanish from Nazareth College. She studied Physics and Radiobiology as well, and put that study to good use in her long ministry of education.

Sr. Vincent was a model of Dominican itinerancy. She began teaching in 1933 in Indiana, and in her more than five decades as an educator and administrator moved to Kentucky, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia. She was strict and had high expectations but was respected as well. One of her male students of physics noted that she was the best teacher he ever had.

After retiring from education in 1985, Sr. Vincent joined the Congregation’s Finance team, where she built a reputation for being organized, conscientious, and absolutely dogged about the accuracy of the reports that she prepared. Her reputation for seriousness, however, did not squash her sense of humor – she showed up at a community “talent show” in knickers and a hat, and played the harmonica.

As the century turned in 1999, so did Sr. Vincent, retiring from active ministry to volunteer in the Recycling Center at St. Catharine’s Dominican Earth Center. It was important to her to do meaningful work, and that was work she was able to do. She moved to the Sansbury Care Center in 2001, where she continued her recycling ministry for some time.

Sr. Vincent was preceded in death by her parents and siblings and survived by several nieces and nephews.

A sharing of memories and visitation was held on Thursday, December 22, at the Sansbury Care Center Chapel. The funeral was on Friday, December 23, at Sansbury Care Center Chapel. Sr. Vincent was interred at the St. Catharine Motherhouse Cemetery among her Sisters and friends.

To donate in Sr. Vincent de Paul’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Vincent de Paul Hutton’s memory may be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr. Columbus, OH 43219 or oppeace.org.

 

Posted in News, Obituaries

Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Esther Owens, OP

Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Esther Owens, OP

Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Esther Owens, OP, (98), a native of Charleston, MA, died December 4, 2022, at Sansbury Care Center in St. Catharine, KY.

Sr. Mary Esther was born Mary Margaret to Margaret T. Ahern and William Owens on September 9, 1924. She worked for a few years before entering the Congregation in 1944. She made final profession in 1946 and celebrated her 75th Jubilee in 2021.

Sr. Mary Esther earned her Bachelor of Arts in English/History/French/Math from Manhattan College in New York, and her Master of Arts in Theology from Providence College. A true Dominican in her love of study, Sr. Mary Esther also worked toward a degree in Applied Theology from Berkeley and took courses in Formation, Community Development, and Spiritual Direction at various institutes.

She spent nearly two decades as a teacher and administrator in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois before being called by the Congregation to serve as Director of Junior Sisters at the St. Catharine Motherhouse and College. She later served her Community by ministering as Eastern Regional Coordinator and, later, as Coordinator of Rosary Manor.

Her deep knowledge and empathy made her suited for many ministries, but education was a favorite. She taught at St. Catharine College, Our Lady of the Rosary in California, and served as Director of Admissions at the School of Applied Theology in Albany, California. She was also an active volunteer at McLean Hospital and Seton Manor in Watertown before she entered a ministry of prayer and presence at the Sansbury Care Center in 2014.

Sr. Kay Mahady spoke with admiration for Sr. Mary Esther’s service to the Church but remembered her more personally during her reflection at her funeral. “Mary’s uniqueness was best expressed in her kindness, wit, and respect for others…in her deep sense of fun… enjoyment in playing piano and singing Irish songs, and yes, in the joy of dance… in stepping out onto the dance floor whenever an occasion appropriately presented itself.”

Sr. Mary Esther is survived by several cousins and members of the Dominican Sisters of Peace.

Sr. Mary Esther was remembered at her visitation on December 21. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on December 23. Both events were held at the Sansbury Care Center Chapel. Sr. Mary Esther was interred at the St. Catharine Motherhouse cemetery.

To donate in Sr. Mary Esther’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Mary Esther Owens’ memory may be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr. Columbus, OH 43219 or oppeace.org.

Posted in News, Obituaries

Dominican Sister of Peace Joan Monica McGuire, OP

Dominican Sister of Peace Joan Monica McGuire, OP

Dominican Sister of Peace Joan Monica (Margaret Winifred) McGuire, OP (90), died on November 21, 2022, at the Sansbury Care Center in St. Catharine, KY.

Sr. Joan was one of six children born to Emma Goedicko and Joseph McGuire in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska. She worked for four years before hearing God’s call and entered the Congregation in 1953. She made first profession in 1955, took her final vows in 1958, and celebrated her 65th Jubilee in 2020.

Sr. Joan loved to study and earned her associates degree from Saint Catharine College, her Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English from Siena College, and her Master of Arts in theology from Loyola University. She later earned her STL (Licentiate in Sacred Theology) in Theology and her STD (Doctor of Sacred Theology) in Ecumenism from the Angelicum Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome. Joan also attended various seminars and programs so that she would be fully prepared for her ministry.

In her reflection at Sr. Joan’s funeral, Sr. Helen Cahill said, “Peace is to be our focus, not revenge. What Jesus was advocating was profound inner Transformation. Joan was persistent in her search for God and open to this inner Transformation.”

Sr. Joan began her long ministry as an educator, teaching in Illinois and Nebraska. She was called to serve her community as the regional coordinator for the Western Region, then elected president of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine, serving from 1972-1980. She also served as a Governing Board Member.

Following her service in Congregational leadership, Sr. Joan interned with the World Without War Council. This was excellent preparation for her next ministry at the Archdiocese of Chicago, where she served as director of ecumenical affairs and interreligious affairs. She was very involved in establishing a covenant relationship between the Metropolitan Chicago Synod and the Archdiocese of Chicago and was recognized with the James Fitzgerald Award from CADEIO (Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers) in 2009.  

Sr. Joan continued to work for peace and unity after her “retirement.” She prepared prayer services on Christian Unity and the Quran, as well as attending services in various Christian churches. She advocated for unity in diversity, promoted voter registration, explored the needs of the poor in the Springfield, Kentucky area, and met with groups working to prevent suicide among the young.

In 2014, Sister McGuire moved to Sansbury Care Center where she began a ministry of prayer and presence.

She is survived by her sister Winifred “Winnie” Becker, several nieces and nephews and members of her congregation.

Visitation was held on November 30 and the Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated December 1, both at the Sansbury Care Center Chapel. Sr. Joan was interred at the St. Catharine Motherhouse Cemetery.

To donate in Sr. Joan Monica McGuire’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Joan Monica McGuire’s memory may be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr. Columbus, OH 43219 or oppeace.org.

 

Posted in Obituaries