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(1921-2017)
Dorothy Mary Jehle, known also as Sister Norbert Mary, was born on April 7, 1921, in Chicago. She was the oldest of six children born to Herman and Dorothy (Elvin) Jehle. Her five younger siblings, in the order of their birth, were Philip, Francis, Barbara, Kathleen, and Eleanor.
Both of her parents were born in Kansas. Her father was a manufacturing jeweler whose work caused the family to move a few times. This is reflected in the various schools Sister Dorothy attended.
Her elementary education began at St. Joseph and Holy Cross Schools in South Bend, Indiana. When the family moved to Joliet, Illinois, she finished grade school at St. Patrick, where she met the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Her high school years were at St. Francis Academy in Joliet.
After graduating in 1939, Sister Dorothy attended the College of St. Francis in Joliet, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in 1943. She then worked as a reporter at the local newspaper, Joliet Spectator, until she entered the postulate on February 2, 1945.
Read more about Sister Dorothy (pdf)
Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221.
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(1919-2017)
“One does not get too far from one’s dream”
Sister Diana, baptized Mary Agatha Miller, was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on February 10, 1919. She was the third of seven children born to William and Lucy (MacArthur) Miller. Her two older brothers, Jerry and Blake, were born in Detroit. Her four younger siblings – Edward, Jane, Philip, and Grace – were born in Royal Oak.
In her autobiography, Sister Diana shared the following details about her family and her attraction to foreign missions.
My father and mother met in Michigan and their courtship lasted for three years. Finally in January 1912 William and Lucy were married and my mother embraced Catholicism. During the Great Depression they lost all the worldly things they had. This forced us to move closer to [St. Mary] School which delighted us because now we could go home for lunch. We lived on the east side of Royal Oak with plenty of space: trees, wild flowers in the woods, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, berry bushes and three kinds of grapes.
I went to St. Mary for grade and high school. One time in the thirties, a missionary priest came to the school and talked about his work in Hunan, China. I believe this priest was Father William Westhovan. It was then that my thoughts about China began. Dad and Mother were always behind me, listening, suggesting and helping.
I entered Adrian in the fall of 1937 and at that time there was talk in the community of opening a place in Hunan, China. However, Japan invaded China and we were on the brink of World War II. Adrian was advised not to pursue the mission fields in the Orient. My yearning and desire to work with His little ones has never ceased.
Read more about Sister Diana (pdf)
Sister Helen Sorich, known also as Sister John Christine, was born on September 26, 1921, in Preko, Yugoslavia. She was the second of five children born to John and Christina Sorich. Preko was also the birthplace of her parents. It is one of several small settlements on a Croatian island that makes up the Zadar Archipelago along the Dalmatian Coastline.
Two years after she was born, Sister Helen and her older sister, Elizabeth, traveled with their mother to the U.S. to join their father, who had found work and a home for them in Chicago. In her autobiography, she wrote:
In 1923 my mom, my older sister Elizabeth, who was four years old, and I, age two, left this land for America. We traveled to the United States on the Martha Washington for twenty-three days. When we landed on Ellis Island, my mom must have shown extreme bewilderment because my dad wasn’t there to meet us. As luck, or fate, would have it, a gentleman, who was on the same ship, came over and asked my mom where she was headed. When she told him Chicago, he proceeded to take us to the train headed for Chicago. What a thrilling moment it must have been for Pa and Ma and us to be re-united here in the U.S.A. What brave people our parents were to venture on to a new land.
My dad had a job in a sausage factory and we lived in the flat above the factory. It was there that another sister, Therese, and my two brothers, Nick and Tony, were born. We attended Nativity School where we received our elementary education from the Sisters of St. Joseph.
As for mom, she was always there for us. She was always there usually in the kitchen. I can’t imagine what I would have ever done, if she didn’t respond. Many is the time we hurried home in order to get the crust of her homemade bread with a bit of sugar sprinkled over it.
When I was in the seventh grade, my Pa suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in July 1935 and died. As I watched and observed the grief of my mom at the loss of her husband and our father, I realized how our God supplies His lasting love, strength, and courage. My mom exemplified that valiant woman who through this great loss raised her children.
Read more about Sister Helen (pdf)
(1923-2017)
Sister Anne Marie Snyder was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 25, 1923. She was one of nine children born to Frank and Mary (Sadar) Snyder.
Sister Anne’s father was born in Slovenia, in Yugoslavia. When he was an infant, his mother died and he was brought to the United States by his godmother. Sister Anne’s mother was born in Cleveland and had three sisters. Her oldest sister entered our Congregation and was known as Sister Regina Clare Sadar. Her younger sister entered the St. Joseph Sisters in Euclid, Ohio, and was known as Sister Ann Joseph.
Read more about Sister Anne Marie (pdf)
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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