Age 84
Sister Judy (Sister Mary Leo), a Sister of Mercy for 66 years, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She entered the Sisters of Mercy from St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Pleasant Hills, in 1955 and made final vows in 1961.
Sister Judy earned a BS from Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University) and a master’s from the University of Dayton. She taught in the Catholic schools in the Pittsburgh and Greensburg Dioceses, including St. Peter Northside, St. Xavier Academy in Latrobe, as well as Academia Católica and Colegio la Merced in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Additionally, Sister Judy served on the board of Carlow University and she was director of apostolic ministry and coordinator of apostolic works for the Pittsburgh Diocese from 1983 to 2007.
Having spent most of her teaching career at Canevin High School as teacher and vice principal, Sister Judy is famous for having taken 20 trips with those students to New York City to see plays and have dinner. As moderator of the high school band’s Flag Girls, she also attended band camps every summer. Sister Judy had a keen sense of humor throughout her life.