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(1930-2017)
Sister Diane Erbacher, known also as Sister Mary Carlanne, was born in San Jose, California, on January 29, 1930. She was the oldest of three children born to Charles and Anne (Foltz) Erbacher. Her two younger brothers were Bill and Jimmy, who was born with a genetic chromosome disorder known as Down Syndrome. Her father was born in Covington, Kentucky, and her mother in Spencer, Nebraska.
The family moved several times and, as a result, Sister Diane was educated in several schools: St. Francis School in Baker, Oregon, and St. Mary School in Bedford, Oregon.
When Sister Diane was in the seventh grade at St. Mary, her family moved to Santa Cruz, California, and she finished her elementary and secondary education in Santa Cruz at Holy Cross School. This was her first contact with the Adrian Dominican Sisters, who staffed the grade school and the high school.
During her high school years, Sister Diane also worked at Sisters’ Hospital, located on West Cliff Drive. According Sister Christine Ostrowski, Sister Diane spoke fondly of her days working at the hospital and getting to know the Sisters.
Read more about Sister Diane (pdf)
Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Anderson Funeral Home, Adrian.
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(1920-2017)
Sister Marie Sheila, baptized Mary Arlene Beatty, was born on August 21, 1920, in Lansing, Michigan. She was the third of seven children born to Howard and Agnes (Torpey) Beatty. Two of her brothers, Billy and Robert, died in infancy: Billy in 1919 and Robert in 1922. Sister Sheila thought both deaths could have been related to the flu epidemic that swept the country after World War I.
In her autobiography, Sister Sheila gave a detailed account of her parents. The following are a few highlights.
My mother was born in Duro, Ontario, Canada, and received most of her education at Loretto Abbey School in Toronto. By the time she was eighteen she was living alone in Lansing. She studied nursing for a year but ended up working as a private secretary. My father was from a Methodist family in Petoskey, Michigan. He worked on a farm to pay for his education in electrical engineering at Michigan State University. After he was baptized Catholic, my parents married and lived in Lansing, where my father found a job doing research on car motors and styling at REO Motor Car Company. [REO were the initials of the founder, Ransom Eli Olds.] When the company was sold to General Motors my father lost his job and we moved to Petoskey and lived with my grandparents until 1921 when my father found a job in Saginaw. It was here that my father began his high school teaching and coaching career that lasted for the next forty years.
Read more about Sister Marie Sheila (pdf)
Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221.
(1921-2017)
Sister Elizabeth (Liz) Kreiner, known also as Sister Catherine William, was born in Burnside, Michigan, on February 13, 1921. She was the ninth of fifteen children born to William and Cecelia (Nellenbach) Kreiner. The two youngest children died in infancy. Burnside, Michigan, in the early 1920s was primarily a rural agriculture and lumber area.
In her autobiography, Sister Liz shared the following stories about her school days.
[Our] rural grade school was a mile and a half away. If it had snowed, I might catch a ride on my uncle’s horse drawn sleigh. That hope helped me get to the road as speedily as possible. In the warm weather I might catch a ride with my teacher who drove to school.
I loved school and when I was a junior at the Brown City High School, my fascination with boys surfaced. However, something else happened besides my father’s death [in 1937]. Mary, my elder sister, who was a postulant, came home for my father’s funeral. Earlier Mother Gerald had said to the novices and postulants [in Adrian], “Where are the other young women who should be here?” Mary apparently chirped up, “My sis, Elizabeth, said she always wanted to be a sister.” Mother Gerald said, “Tell her to come.” It didn’t matter that I was only 15 at the time whereas Mary was 22. Mary’s telling me what Mother Gerald said was, sadly, God’s call to me.
Read more about Sister Elizabeth (pdf)
(1932-2016)
Joyce Frugé, the first of the three children of Roy and Beatrice Grundy, was born on July 3, 1932, in Wyandotte, Michigan. She attended Our Lady of Lourdes grade school and high school.
Joyce was an Adrian Dominican Sister for 25 years, entering the Congregation in 1950 and known by her religious name, Sister Clement Marie. She taught in Chicago; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; and at St. Theresa in Detroit.
Joyce earned a bachelor’s degree from Siena Heights College (University), in Adrian; a master’s degree from DePaul University; and a master’s in education and Montessori certification from Xavier University.
Joyce was an expert on the Montessori method. She opened the Montessori Children’s House at St. Theresa School in Detroit and, from 1993 to 2004, served as program director for the Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center. In 2004 she started a Montessori program on Mackinac Island, where she lived with her beloved husband, Derby, for a year. In her retirement, she was involved in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a religious education program for children.
Joyce and Derby Frugé were married for 31 years, from 1978 until his death in 2009. Derby was a widower with six children when he met Joyce, so Joyce was a stepmother, a grandmother of 10, and a great grandmother.
After Derby’s death, Joyce began to search for connectedness. She sought Associate Life and reconnected with many Sisters she knew from when she entered. Sister Janet Wright, OP, was Joyce’s mentor and dear friend.
Joyce attended Chapter Assemblies, the annual Partners gatherings of Associates, weekly prayer group meetings, and monthly meetings of the Great Lakes Associates group. Joyce participated enthusiastically in Associate Life projects, such as signing Christmas cards, and was helping to plan Partners V. She loved to read, pray, and walk, and approached life with enthusiasm and vitality.
Joyce died on January 7 after a brief illness. She will be missed by many.
Joyce’s life was celebrated on January 14. Our Lady of Loretto Church in Redford, Michigan, was packed with family, friends, Sisters and Associates. Father Richard Welsh, a long-time friend of Joyce’s, was overwhelmed and shared his tears and his wisdom. He reminded us that Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” and “Joyce’s presence should rise within us so we can continue her good works.
During the luncheon, people shared stories of Joyce. Her stepdaughters, Martine and Cynthia, and Cynthia’s son Victor spoke of how Joyce always made sure they visited museums and points of interest in Detroit. Women still being mentored by Joyce in the Montessori Method, noted that she was meeting with them monthly. Others spoke of her involvement in her parish and how she was still a catechist, twice a week at Gesu Parish, sharing her amazing talents with little ones. At one table were men and women who have been friends with Joyce since they all attended Catholic grade school together many years ago. Joyce had many circles of friends and it was a true celebration.
Janet Wright, OP, mentor and dearest friend, spoke of Joyce’s final moments on earth. Joyce knew she was dying and said, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” In those words, Joyce, until her final moments, demonstrated a deep spirituality and the gift of sharing it with everyone.
Our Adrian Dominican cemetery with its circular headstones is a beautiful place of rest for women who gave their lives in service to God — and a peaceful place for contemplation and remembrance.
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