Sister Margaret Mary Friel, SND; May 17, 1937 – July 23, 2022 (Formerly Sister Mary John Patrick)
Margaret was born on May 17, 1937 in Cleveland Heights, Ohio to Patrick and Delia (Henderson) Friel. She and her younger brother Patrick grew up in a family characterized by deep faith and appreciation for their Irish heritage. Margaret’s education at St. Gregory and St. Margaret Mary School, and high school years at Notre Dame […]
Sister Jeanne Mary Nieminen, SND; December 25, 1928 – July 8, 2022 (Formerly Sister Mary Jane Frances)
Born on Christmas Day in Ashtabula, Ohio, Gloria Jeanne was the middle daughter of Niles and Stella Lazarski Nieminen. Her mother kept the household running smoothly while her father, a steward on an iron ore boat, sailed the Great Lakes for much of the year. Though no formal religion was practiced at home, the three […]
Sister Helene Marie Gregos, SND; August 11, 1933- July 2, 2022 (Formerly Sister Mary Therese Martin)
Helene Gregos was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 11, 1933, the only child of John and Anna Custer Gregos. She attended elementary school at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and attended Notre Dame Academy, Cleveland, for her high school education. After graduation, she entered nursing school at St. John Hospital. Classes at St. […]
Sister Mary Joanne Bonczek, SND; July 31, 1938 – May 25, 2022 (Formerly Sister Mary Ann José)
Joanne Mary was the oldest of six children born to Joseph and Anna (Buiting) Bonczek. The family moved to Elyria in 1940, and it was there that Joanne and her siblings (two brothers and three sisters) participated in church and school activities at St. Agnes Parish. Music was one of Joanne’s best subjects; she took […]
Sister Julie Marie Gilmore, SND; October 2, 1934 –May 17, 2022 (Formerly Sister Mary Maurene)
The fourth child of William and Mary Ellen (Duddy) Gilmore, Julie Theresa was born in the family home on East 93rd Street in Cleveland, in the shadow of Notre Dame on Ansel Road. From their parents, emigrants from County Mayo, the children learned the importance of education and the value of hard work, rooted in […]
Sister Mary Catherine Romancik, SND; June 21, 1928 – March 9, 2022 (formerly Sister Mary Roy)
Catherine Dorothy Romancik was born to Adam and Lottie Stanczyz Romancik in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father had come to America from Slovakia at age 17. He found work in the Pennsylvania coal mines, and then met and married Lottie. They worked hard to provide for their children, proud of their cultural heritage and strong in […]
Sister Ruth Mary Perl, SND; October 22, 1935 – December 29, 2021 (formerly Sister Mary Judith Ann)
Ruth Mary Perl was the youngest child of Leo and Mary Hohneck Perl, and twin sister to Sister Rita Mary Perl, born in Massillon, Ohio. The biblical blessing of “children like olive plants around your table,” from Psalm 138 was fulfilled in nine children—three boys and six girls. God called four of the girls to […]
Sister Mary Dolores Stanko, SND; October 8, 1932 – December 26, 2021 (formerly Sister Mary Charles Ann)
Dolores Anna Stanko was the first of two daughters born to Charles and Anna Sotak Stanko. She and her sister Mary Jane spent their early years living in multi-generational, multi-family homes, characterized by faith, hard work, and care for others. Dolores attended St. Benedict School, Cleveland, where she first met the Sisters of Notre Dame. […]
Sister Merita Strahler SND; September 24, 1926-July 10, 2021
Sister Merita Strahler, SND (September 24, 1926-July 10, 2021) Loretta Mary Strahler was born in Suffield, Ohio, the fourth of seven children of Raymond and Stella Oakes Strahler. With three older brothers and later, three younger sisters, Loretta described her childhood as “very happy,” as she played, learned, and shared the work of the family’s […]
Sister Hedy Marie, SND; July 23, 1932 – December 27, 2020 (formerly Sister Mary Claudia)
Sister Hedy Marie Olesky owed her life to the flu pandemic of 1918. Her parents, Charles Olesky and Nellie Dominikowski Kowalski, lost their spouses during that epidemic. After the pandemic ended, they met and married, blending their five children into a family. Over the years, eight more children were born; Hedy was the second youngest. […]