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(1931-2026)
When Sister Elizabeth Lynch first became principal of St. Denis School in Chicago in 1971, she liked the school and its South Side neighborhood so much that she knew it was the right place for her. In fact, it remained the right place for her for a remarkable thirty years.
For Elizabeth, being at St. Denis meant coming home to Chicago. She was born there on May 3, 1931, and baptized Elizabeth Mary Alice. She was the younger of the two children of Charles and Alice (O’Neil) Lynch, following her brother, Patrick, who was two years older than she. Charles was a Chicago police officer, as his father had been before him, and Patrick eventually followed in both of their footsteps on the police force.
Elizabeth’s childhood was graced by, as she put it in her life story, “loving and fun parents and a delightful brother,” as well as both sets of grandparents and “many doting aunts and uncles.” She attended kindergarten at St. Peter Canisius School and first grade at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Oak Park.
When she was ready to start second grade, the family moved into St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, where the Adrian Dominicans taught in the parish school. The Sisters were a huge influence on her: even though she was taught by the Sisters of St. Casimir in high school at St. Casimir Academy and had two aunts and a cousin who were Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when she finally decided she had a vocation, it was to the Adrian Dominican Sisters… much to the surprise of her BVM aunts.
After graduating from St. Casimir in 1949, Elizabeth worked as a stenographer for the Wilson Meat Packing Company for about a year and a half until her school friend Ann Leonard, later to become Ann Morrissey, suggested they write to Adrian to ask for entrance. They both became postulants in February 1951. Although Ann (Sister Thomas Therese) left during their novitiate, she and Sister Elizabeth remained great friends.
Read more about Sister Elizabeth (PDF)
Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221.
Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)
Note: To view recordings with closed captioning, they must be viewed on our public video library rather than through the links below.
Recording of Sister Elizabeth's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Elizabeth's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Leave your comments and remembrances – if you don't see the comment box below, click on the "Read More" link.
(1934-2026)
Reta Ann Drexler was the sixth of seven children born to William and Rose (Hoorman) Drexler, coming into the family on November 27, 1934, at home in Dearborn, Michigan.
William and Rose, who had met and married in Ohio and lived there for a few years before moving to Dearborn, planned to move to a farm near Deerfield, Michigan, in Lenawee County not far from Adrian, after Reta’s birth. An outbreak of chicken pox among the children, including tiny Reta, delayed the move until all were well, but they arrived at their new home on December 23 of that year.
Given the timing of the move, two of Reta’s sisters, seven-year-old Vera and five-and-a-half-year-old Florence, were afraid that Santa would not know they were in a new house and stood outside yelling to Santa that they now lived there. “Santa must have heard them for they received their gifts,” Sister Reta wrote in her autobiography.
When Reta was about seven years old, the family moved to a farm near Willis, Michigan, southeast of Ann Arbor. She and her siblings – in addition to Vera and Florence, there were four boys: Albert, Carl, Donald, and James – had lots of fun on the farm, with its woods and open space in which to play and explore.
Read more about Sister Reta (PDF)
Recording of Sister Reta's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Reta's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Marie Rose, we love you and will miss your bright-eyed smile and good sense of humor. I’m sure you know we celebrated Christ’s Baptism yesterday. We trust that, like Christ, you are enveloped in the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit and hear the voice of God saying, “Marie Rose, you are my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased.”
Sister Sara Fairbanks, Mission Prioress of the Holy Rosary Mission Chapter, was speaking in this eulogy of Sister Marie Rose Bauer, who was remembered at her wake as a kind, cheerful woman who gave freely of herself, loved to have a good time, and whose talents at crocheting and knitting helped bring sweaters, scarves, hats, and afghans to countless people in need.
Marie Rose was born on August 22, 1934, in Port Huron, Michigan, to John and Marie Rose (Kern) Bauer. She was the couple’s oldest child; her siblings were Elizabeth, John, Robert, and Joseph.
The Bauer family history traces back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Sister Marie Rose’s paternal great-grandfather, Louis Bauer, came to the U.S. with his two sons and settled in Port Huron, where he worked for the Grand Trunk Railroad. Louis’ wife and daughters never joined him, remaining in their homeland to manage the family farm. As for Sister’s maternal grandparents, they came from the same general area of Europe as the other side of the family did, but did not meet until their respective families had settled in Port Huron.
John and his future wife met in elementary school. Both of them grew up speaking German at home and attended St. Joseph Church, a German parish in Port Huron. Neither went on to high school, so “it was very important that we (children) did,” Sister Marie Rose wrote in her autobiography.
Read more about Sister Marie Rose (PDF)
Recording of Sister Marie Rose's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Marie Rose's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
(1936-2025)
For many months I have been reflecting on the task of writing this autobiography. Over and over it has come to me that the overwhelming influence in my life is that of a generous God, one who has always provided for me and for my family and has allowed me to be generous in many ways.
Sister Chris Matthews began her autobiography with these sentences, and that thread of God’s generosity was woven throughout the pages that followed.
Christine Marie Matthews was born on December 11, 1936, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, to James and Grace (Austin) Matthews. She was the second youngest of the couple’s five surviving children – two others died at birth – coming after Mary, Grace, and Janet and before Michael.
James was born on a farm in Hastings, Michigan, to a father who insisted that his boys work hard on the farm, to the point of having their education interrupted during planting and harvest time. When the farm failed, James’ father left the family, and so the children and their mother moved to Detroit. James went on to become a foreman at Ainsworth Manufacturing.
As for Grace, she was a fourth-generation Detroiter who grew up in a family that was very poor but was able to have fun nevertheless. A highlight was when the eldest Austin girl, Annie, would come home on payday with the latest song on sheet music and the family would sing as she played the piano. Although Grace’s family was too poor to even have a Christmas tree, when the neighbors discarded their tree after the holiday the Austin children would bring it into their house and decorate it.
When James and Grace met, James thought she was “the prettiest, peppiest girl he had ever known,” Sister Chris wrote. But after their first date, Grace told Jim it was not a good idea for them to go out since he was not Catholic. He immediately told her he would become Catholic, and soon thereafter began taking instruction in the faith.
As the couple raised their family, they were considered strict on many accounts, but “there was much fun and laughter in the house,” Sister Chris wrote. Holidays were full of relatives and good food, evening homework was often followed by a spirited card game, and the family spent summers at Torch Lake with plenty of fishing and swimming.
Read more about Sister Christine (PDF)
Recording of Sister Christine's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Christine's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
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