Age 93
“All the world’s a stage…” Sister Joan’s first entrance on the stage of life was May 22, 1932, when she was born in Tiffin, Ohio, and grew up Upper Sandusky, Ohio.
She entered the Sisters of Mercy at the age of 22 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Our Lady of Cincinnati College and pursued further studies at Catholic University in Washington, DC, and Toledo University in Toledo, Ohio. She also held a master’s degree in communications from Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana (which she religiously followed during football season).
Act Two encompassed her ministries of education, music, and theater. She taught elementary grades briefly before moving to secondary education at McAuley High School in Toledo, Ohio, where she put their plays and musical performances on the map. Throughout her years, she directed, enjoyed, performed, and produced many stage plays and encouraged new actresses and singers.
During Act Three, she begins to dedicate the rest of her years of service to the Sisters of Mercy. In 1971, she was elected to the leadership team of the Sisters of Mercy whose offices were in Cincinnati. For seven years, her responsibilities included overseeing all the sisters, ministries and their boards in Northern Ohio from Toledo to Cleveland.
After her years in leadership, she assumed the role of administrator of St. Bernardine Home in Fremont, Ohio. During those 21 years, she supervised the various departments in the house such as nursing, kitchen, and grounds, as well as being the leading entertainer. She regaled residents with a number of skits, pretty successfully hiding her identity and creating great fun. She was quite the kind hostess, providing Mercy hospitality to all.
The curtain has come down on Act Four, during which she suffered great pain and personal sadness. She longed to be with God, and her peaceful death showed she had reached that goal. She was faithful to her personal motto, “Thy will be done.”