Janice Thelma Schlueter was born into the loving family of Thelma and Elmer Schlueter on March 27, 1944. She was their only child. She described her childhood as “drenched with goodness and love of God.” Janice attended St. Martin School in Cheviot, Ohio, where she came to know the Sisters of Notre Dame. By the eighth grade Janice was convinced that she wanted to follow them and become a sister. After graduating from Mother of Mercy High School, her heart was still set on the same goal. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame on August 22, 1962, and made her first profession of vows in 1965. Sister Joenita was then assigned to assist at St. Joseph Heights infirmary, Lourdes Hall, while pursuing a nursing education in practical nursing at Northern Kentucky Vocational School of Practical Nursing.
Upon receiving her degree sister continued her ministry as staff nurse at Lourdes Hall and then worked three years at St Charles Nursing Home. She then went to Morehead State University to earn her RN associate degree and worked at St. Claire Hospital on the surgical floor and in the emergency room. In 1977 Sister Joenita returned to St. Charles Nursing Home as Director of Nursing for nine years, after which she attended Northern Kentucky University for her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She continued at St. Charles Nursing Home, working as the evening shift supervisor. In 1994 she returned to Lourdes Hall as head nurse.
Sister Joenita returned to St. Claire in 2002. She continued to serve there as a Registered Nurse, a bedside nurse, a Clinical Research Analyst in Oncology, and then as a Patient Satisfaction Liaison. She felt that working for the Morehead community was an honor. She enjoyed bringing loving care and compassion to all she helped in the thirteen years that she ministered there, sharing the talents that God gave her, so she could help others. Sister Joenita retired from St. Claire in 2015 and returned home to St. Joseph Heights.
Shortly after her return, she moved to Lourdes Hall where she continued to share her kindness, sense of humor, and creativity, as well as her care for her sisters and others. Sister Joenita will always be remembered for her selflessness, always putting other’s needs above her own.
Sister Mary Joenita went home to God peacefully on July 30, 2024. She was preceded in death by her parents and her step-mother, Henrietta Schlueter. She is survived by her step-sister, Patricia McMillan and cousins.
Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM on Friday, August 2, 2024, at St. Joseph Heights Chapel. The wake service will be held at 11:00 AM, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial. Interment in the convent cemetery will follow the Mass.
Livestream link will be provided when available.
Memorials are requested to The Sisters of Notre Dame, Covington, Kentucky.
