Age 88
An elementary school educator for thirty-five years in North Dakota, New Mexico, Iowa and Oregon, Sister Jeanita was a dedicated servant and tireless advocate for the education and well-being of children.
Born on a small family farm in Iowa, Jeanita attended Mercy Preparatory High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska. She entered the Sisters of Mercy in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 19. She held a bachelor’s degree in education from the College of St. Mary and a master’s degree in Reading from Clark College in Dubuque, Iowa.
For twenty years, beginning in 1974, Sister Jeanita taught at St. Joseph Catholic School in Roseburg, Oregon and later became principal. During this time, she established the Roseburg Mercy Associates as a lay branch of the Sisters of Mercy. The purpose was to carry on founder Catherine McAuley’s spiritual and corporal works of Mercy and to enrich the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy.
In 1994, Jeanita opened Cobb’s Corner Learning Center, a day care center in Roseburg, Iowa, where she ministered as director for 17 years. In 2017, she moved (kicking and screaming) to Riverview Terrace, a retirement center in Roseburg where she resided until her death. She had an open-door policy for anyone to stop in and visit. Jeanita welcomed new residents and offered a listening ear to anyone who stopped by. She also had a passion for gardening, social hours, and dining out with friends.