Sister Mary Maurus Labadie passed into eternal life on April 24, 2021, at the age of 98 and in her 78th year of religious profession. She was one of five children of Mark and Cecilia (Wagener) Labadie. She attended St. Joseph School in Maumee and graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Toledo. Entering the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1941 she received the name of Sister Mary Maurus at her investment.
Having attended Mary Manse College, Sister began her 65-year career in teaching children–43 years as a full-time teacher and 22 years as a part-time teacher or tutor in the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio. Her expertise in helping children with special needs led her to Mary Immaculate School in Toledo during his last 22 years in the classroom.
She made learning fun by using her many talents. She loved listening to and playing music, writing poetry, doing calligraphy, reading, studying and sharing what she learned, and spending time outdoors. She taught herself how to play musical instruments especially the violin and accordion.
Sister embraced life with keen interest in the arts. She seemed to bask in the brilliance of the great composers and perhaps imagined playing her violin in concert. Her life, like a musical score, was ready to receive divine notes—the whole notes of life wholly lived, the half notes of surrender to infirmity, the quarter notes of steady, daily growth in holiness. One of her favorite violin pieces was “Jerusalem.”
When she needed skilled care, she became a resident of Rosary Care Center operated by the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania, Ohio. She became one with the Franciscan spirit and enjoyed living with the sisters and residents since 2011.
May she enjoy the beauty and glory of the new Jerusalem. Alleluia!
To view a tribute video of Sr. Mary Maurus Labadie, please click link below.