(1930-2025)

Few people in either the secular or religious world can say they spent fifty years working in the same place, but Sister Marion O’Connor seems to have taken a page out of her father’s work history and then some: Fifty-three years of her life in ministry, from 1964 to 2017, took place at Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Illinois.

When she was to be honored by the school at the fifty-year mark in 2014, the school wrote in its announcement of the event:

It is not the longevity of S. Marion’s career that makes her deserving of recognition; it is the way she fulfills her desire to make education come alive for her students by infusing values and relevancy into the curriculum. She has had an extraordinary influence on hundreds of young women. As an Adrian Dominican Sister, teacher, department chair, class moderator and role model, Sister Marion has been a priceless gift to Regina Dominican.

Marion Rita, as she was baptized, was born on June 17, 1930, in Chicago to Jeremiah Joseph and Mary Bridget (Stack) O’Connor. Both Jeremiah and Mary were immigrants to America from County Kerry, Ireland; they met at an Irish dance in Chicago, immediately began dating, and married in 1927.

Jeremiah worked for the New York Central Railroad almost as long as his daughter was at Regina Dominican, serving as a clerk there for fifty years. Mary was a stay-at-home mother to her daughter, who was “an only child that grew up in a loving home filled with laughter and joy,” Sister Marion said in her life story.

Read more about Sister Marion (PDF)

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, Adrian.

Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)

Vigil and Funeral Recordings

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 Marion'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 Marion'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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