(1942-2023)

The cover of the worship aid for Sister Judy Bisignano’s Memorial Mass shows a picture Sister Judy took of a village in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. Her first visit to the Achuar people of that region in 2009 changed her life and set her spirituality on a whole new path.

Judith Ann Bisignano was born May 3, 1942, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Alphonse and Catherine (Dwyer) Bisignano. She was the fourth of five children, the others being Joe, Jim, Mary Kay, and John.

Alphonse, also known as “Babe,” was the owner of Babe’s Restaurant, a Des Moines fixture for half a century. He was a boxer and wrestler before becoming a restauranteur. Catherine, as Irish by descent as Alphonse was Italian and as quiet as he was gregarious, was an avid reader who used books, newspapers, and magazines to pursue a lifelong quest for education.

Judy met the Adrian Dominican Sisters during elementary school when she attended St. Augustin School. She spent a great deal of time at the convent, finding the Sisters welcoming and kind, and although her high school education came with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the BVM Sisters) at St. Joseph Academy in Des Moines, she decided she wanted to be an Adrian Dominican Sister. Her sister, Mary Kay, did join the BVMs, but died at the age of just twenty-three of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221. 

Read more about Sister Judith (PDF).

Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)

 

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