Age 100
Sister Margaret Mary San Antonio was a Sister of Mercy for 76 years. As Dorothy San Antonio, she attended Lakewood, New Jersey public schools. She then pursued a career in nursing, graduating from St. Catherine of Siena Hospital School of Nursing in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944. Dorothy was then asked to be a private duty nurse for the ailing Mother Margaret Mary at Mount St. Mary, Watchung, New Jersey. Dorothy entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1945. By the time of her Reception, Mother Margaret Mary had died, and she was given her name.
Sister Margaret Mary served as a staff nurse and health instructor at Mount Saint Mary Academy as a registered nurse. In 1953 she was assigned to Georgian Court College, now University. She later spent two years nursing at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. In 1968 Sister Margaret Mary began her service on the nursing staff at McAuley Hall Health Care Center and later served as Director of Volunteers. Between 1970 and 1990, she volunteered with the Red Cross in New York/New Jersey. In addition, Sister Margaret Mary served as Director of Associates for the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey Regional Community from 1983 to 1994. During those years, she resided at McAuley Hall and continued to live there in her retirement.
Famous for her smile, warm hospitality and friendliness, Sister Margaret Mary was a faithful and reliable nurse whose genuine concern for each patient was evident and appreciated. Her love of God in every person she met inspired in her a lifetime of dedicated service characterized by her joy and spontaneity.