Obituaries

Sr. Leona Watroba

Administrator
Franciscan Sister of Chicago Leona (Mary Hedwinella) Watroba, 104, died July 6.
Born in Hammond, Indiana, and educated by the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago, she entered the order in 1934, made first vows in 1942 and final vows in 1944.
She served as a sacristan and seamstress in Chicago; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and Boys Town, Nebraska. She became an X-ray technician and served for 21 years in South Dakota.
In 1972, she returned to Chicago and served as a Medicare and Medicaid clerk, assistant administrator, receptionist and local minister at St. Joseph Home. In 1983, Sister Leona went to the motherhouse in Lemont, where she served as director of housekeeping for three years and local treasurer for 11 years. She retired to the infirmary in 1999.
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Sr. Marie Bertrand Wright

Educator
Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Marie Bertrand Wright, 94, died July 5 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.
Born in St. Louis, she made her first religious profession in 1947 and her final profession in 1950. She taught, was a principal and did pastoral ministry in South Dakota, Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Alaska.
In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Marie Bertrand taught at St. Thomas the Apostle, Chicago, 1969-1974.
She is survived by a sister, Grace Mayer, and her twin brother, Joseph Wright.
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Sr. Lucia Lietsch

Educator, chaplain
Mercy Sister Lucia (Gloria Ann) Lietsch, 92, died June 29.
The oldest of 16 children in her family, Sister Lucia was raised in Iowa and entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1943.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Xavier College and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. She taught second through eighth grades in 19 Catholic schools in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin over 30 years before pursuing a certificate to be a hospital chaplain.
She later returned to teaching in Naperville and Aurora, Illinois. After she retired, Sister Lucia served as a volunteer English as a second language tutor for primarily Mexican immigrants.
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Sr. Mary Supple

Educator
Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary (Marie Jarlath) Supple, 89, died June 22 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.
Born in Chicago, Sister Mary made her first religious profession in 1948 and her final profession in 1951. She served in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary taught at St. Luke, River Forest (1961-1962); Immaculate Conception (1962-1968); St. Cajetan (1968-1971); and St. Sabina (1980-2000), where she also served as tutor (1973-1975).
She is survived by a brother, Francis Supple.
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Sr. Carol Ann Haggarty

Educator
Religious of the Sacred Heart Carol Haggarty, 75, died June 18 in California.
Born in Chicago, she entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1961 and took final vows in 1969.
She served in Sacred Heart Schools in Chicago, Louisiana, Nebraska and St. Louis as educator and board member. She also served in province administration in St. Louis and at the Network of Sacred Heart Schools.
Sister Haggarty is survived by her sister, Joan Eggers.
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Br. Xavier Eshman

Educator, missionary
Divine Word Brother Xavier (John Daniel) Eshman, 79, died on June 18.
Born in Ohio, Brother Xavier entered the community in 1959. While completing his postulancy and novitiate, he taught science and math at the Divine Word Brother Candidate School and worked in the dairy farm on the Techny property.
In 1962 at Techny, he professed vows and taught at Divine Word seminaries in New York and Pennsylvania.
He taught at St. Joseph University’s School of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine in Esperanza, Argentina, and at Divine Word Seminary in New Jersey. He also served in Itapúa, Paraguay, for 25 years.
Brother Xavier is survived by four sisters: Mary Ellen Francis, Jane Keever, Suzanne Frangesch and Cynthia Eshman.
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Sr. Mary Mark Derbas

Educator, archivist
Felician Sister Mary Mark (Dorothy) Derbas, 82, died June 18 in Our Lady of the Angels Convent.
Born in Chicago, she attended St. Joseph Elementary School and St. Joseph High School. She entered the Felician Sisters in 1954 and professed final vows in 1962. She ministered in elementary schools as a teacher and principal in Illinois. She also served as an archivist for the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago.
In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at Sts. Peter and Paul (1957-1958); St. Bronislava (1958-1962, 1971-1979); Sacred Heart (1962-1965); Holy Innocents (1965-1967); St. John of God (1967-1968); St. Hubert, Hoffman Estates (1979-1980); St. Turibius (1980-1985, 2007-2008); St. Stanislaus, Posen (1985-1986); Good Shepherd (1986-1993); St. Patrick/St. Alphonsus, Lemont (1995-2000); St. George, Tinley Park (2000-2007); Queen of the Universe/St. Richard (2007-2009); and Our Lady of Victory Convent, Lemont (2007-2017).
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Sr. Agnese Chapkauskas

Educator, pastoral minister
Sister of St. Casimir Agnese Chapkauskas (Chapp), 83, died June 18.
Born in Cicero, she entered the Sisters of St. Casimir in Chicago in 1947. She made her first vows in 1953, and her final vows in 1958.
She ministered in elementary schools in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago she taught at Providence of God and St. Pius X, Stickney. She worked in the registrar’s office at Maria High School (1979-1993) and as a pastoral minister at Holy Cross Hospital (1995-2011).
Most recently Sister Agnese participated in the SSC ministry of prayer at the SSC Motherhouse (2011-2014) and at Franciscan Village in Lemont (2014-2017).
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Sr. Harriet Holles

Educator
BVM Sister Harriet (Agneda) Holles, 84, died June 17 in Dubuque, Iowa.
Born in Wisconsin, she entered the BVM congregation in 1953 and professed final vows in 1961.
In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Harriet taught math at Mundelein College. She also taught at Clarke University and Loras College, both in Dubuque. She also ministered as a self-employed spiritual adviser.

Sr. Kathleen McNamara

Educator, Pianist
Benedictine Sister Kathleen (Eleanor) McNamara, 92, died June 16 at St. Scholastica Monastery.
Born in Colorado, she entered the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago in 1943 and professed vows in 1948. She taught at St. Hilary Parish for three years and St. Scholastica High School for two years prior to 1950 and from 1954-1958. The rest of her active ministerial life she served at St. Scholastica Academy, Cañon City, Colorado.
She also served her Benedictine community in many roles, continuing until a few weeks before her death.

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