Age 88
Known for her calm strength and deep faith, Sister Corita was a deeply spiritual woman who worked tirelessly to prioritize patient care, support staff development, and navigate complex health care decisions with grace and purpose.
Born on a farm in Iowa, at the age of 20, Lucille entered the Sisters of Mercy in Detroit, Michigan. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Mercy College in Detroit, Michigan, a master’s degree in health administration from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, and, later in life, certification as a spiritual director from St. Joseph Educational Center Institute of Spiritual Guidance.
After beginning her ministry as a nurse, Sister Corita quickly moved into administration in Mercy Hospitals in Iowa and Michigan. She served as assistant administrator at St. Joseph Mercy Hospitals in Sioux City, Iowa, and in Ann Arbor, Michigan, administrator at Mercy Medical Center, Dubuque, Iowa, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Mason City, Iowa. Later she became president and chief executive officer in Dubuque then president and chief executive officer of the Sisters of Mercy Health Corporation headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. From 1994 to 2015 she served as a full-time trustee for Mercy Health Network of Iowa.
In 2006 she received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Iowa, College of Public Health. She published several professional articles including “Getting Ready to Govern” in Chicago Trustee (2013) and “Urban Hospitals: Their Plight and Mission” in the Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal.
From 1998 until shortly before her death, she lived in Mason City, Iowa, and was a spiritual director/companion to many while continuing to serve on health care boards for several religious congregations in the U.S. and Canada. She also served on a committee that sent input to the Vatican Synod.