Age 85
The motto inscribed in Sister Mary Ann’s religious profession ring was “THE LORD LIVES!” Throughout her life and ministry, she shared the Lord’s presence with all set met. And now she lives forever in God’s Holy Presence.
Sister Mary Ann was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Mobile, Alabama. She is survived by her identical twin, Sister Mary Eileen, RSM, her brothers, and three generations of nieces and nephews.
In Mobile, Sister Mary Ann attended both St. Mary and St. Catherine Elementary Schools and graduated from the former Convent of Mercy High School in 1956. After high school, Sister Mary Ann began her life-long ministry in health care, graduating from Providence School of Nursing, Mobile in 1959.
In 1960, Sister Mary Ann entered the Sisters of Mercy in Baltimore, Maryland, following her twin sister who entered earlier that year. She received her B.S. in Nursing from St. Louis University, Missouri, and her M.S. in Administration from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. This is where she developed her love of college football. She remained a devoted fan of the “Fighting Irish.”
Sister Mary Ann started her full-time ministry at St. Joseph Hospital, in Atlanta, Georgia, as Supervisor-OB/GYN. She then ministered at St. Martin de Porres Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, which closed in 1967. She began the signature ministry of her life as a Sister of Mercy at the former Villa Mercy, in Daphne, Alabama, later to become Mercy Medical. This was the beginning of health care ministry that would span 38 years of service.
As senior vice president and chief operating officer, Sister Mary Ann took Mercy Medical new directions. She may be best known for the creation and development of the first free-standing Alzheimer facility in the state of Alabama, the John McClure Snook Regional Center in Daphne.
After retiring from Mercy Medical, Sisters Mary Ann and Mary Eileen relocated to Baltimore. In 2019 they decided to “come home” to reside at Convent of Mercy in Mobile. Sister Mary Ann became the unofficial “go-to” person when sisters had medical questions or needed college football updates.
This Woman of God who met the health needs of others for so many years developed health issues of her own. As the end neared, she called upon hospice, a gift she had made available for others, to accompany her on her final journey.