Age 91
Born in Sandusky, Ohio, Sister Kathleen loved her hometown where Frances Ward, one of the first Sisters of Mercy, stopped on her stagecoach travels in 1846.
After graduating from Toledo Mercy Hospital School of Nursing (now Mercy College of Ohio) Sister Kathleen worked at Mercy Hospital until entering the Sisters of Mercy in 1959 at the age of 25. While in formation she completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Edgecliff College (formerly Our Lady of Cincinnati) in Cincinnati, Ohio.
She ministered at Mercy Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, for 28 years. She held various positions of responsibility: nurse, department supervisor, staff development director, health care coordinator, vice president of nursing services, vice president of support services. In the midst of ministry, she earned her master’s in administration at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, in1982.
An avid sports fan, from 1992 to 1993, she enjoyed a sabbatical at Notre Dame University and attended the Fighting Irish home football games. The following year, she embarked on a new ministry as housing manager for 12 years at Charles Crest I & II, an affordable, income-based rental housing community for adults age 62 and over, located in Oregon, Ohio, where she developed a close relationship with the seniors in her care.
Even with all her duties she found time to play golf. In golf and in life, she was perceptive and good at judging situations and performed above expectations. For five years she volunteered at St. Charles Mercy Hospital in Oregon, Ohio, before retiring to St. Bernadine Home in Fremont, Ohio, with her beloved cat.