Age 91
Sister Joyce Rose enjoyed life, especially music and dancing, her artwork and the loving care she gave to animals.
A graduate of Our Lady of Mercy High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 18, Sister Joyce entered the Sisters of Mercy in that city. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Our Lady of Cincinnati College and a license to teach school in both Kentucky and Ohio.
Most of her life she taught in elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky, but enjoyed the middle grades the best. She integrated folk dancing and square dancing as part of the curriculum. Joyce had an amazing number of hobbies. An accomplished artist—mostly in watercolor— she enjoyed calligraphy, especially if it involved a large poster board. Over the years she contributed many beautifully lettered signs for special occasions.
During her retirement years at St. Catherine’s Convent in Louisville, Kentucky, Joyce took organ lessons and practiced faithfully for years. Her organ is now in McAuley’s front parlor, and someone reported hearing her play recently. An expert at Sudoko puzzles, if she couldn’t come to a satisfactory solution, she would contact the company, certain that they had made a mistake.
Joyce loved animals. When she lived at St. Catherine Convent in Louisville, Kentucky, she enjoyed taking the resident dog Mikie for walks around the neighborhood. When McAuley Convent in Cincinnati, Ohio, had its own dog, Otis, Joyce also was his walking companion. She loved to walk to the local parish for morning Mass.