In Memoriam


Sister Mary Margaret “Sis” Beh, OP (Ann Pauline)

Sister Mary Margaret Beh

(1920-2021)

Her parents may have named her Mary Margaret, but for most of her 101 years of life almost everyone – relatives, friends, and her Adrian Dominican “family” – knew her as “Sis.”

Sis Beh was born on May 27, 1920, in Birmingham, Michigan, to Joseph and Margaret Mary (Mihm) Beh. She was the third of the Behs’ four children, with two older brothers, Joseph and Robert, and a younger sister, Pauline.

She explained the genesis of her nickname in a St. Catherine letter written to Sister Betty Kubacki on July 17, 1980.

Yes, my name is “Sis,” at least this is one of my names, and the one that goes back almost as far as I go back. My family gave me that when I was very young because my two older brothers (2 and 4 years my senior) could not handle “Mary Margaret.” They called me “Little Sister,” eventually shortening it to “Sis.” When we returned to our baptismal names, it seemed that people just automatically returned to calling me “Sis.” This never pleased my grandmother. She used to always say, “with such a pretty name as Mary Margaret and you let people call you ‘Sis.’”

Religious vocations ran in the family; Bob was a priest for many years before leaving the priesthood, while an aunt, an uncle, and several cousins were also in religious life. Sis’s brother Joe was in the seminary himself for a while. And, she wrote in that St. Catherine letter, her mother had been thinking very seriously about entering the convent when she met her future husband at a party and he asked to call on her. “He claimed he knew a good thing when he saw it. I agree!” Sis wrote.

Read more about Sister Mary Margaret (pdf)

make a memorial giftMemorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221. 

 

 

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Avatar  Margaret Kelly 3 years agoReply

Sis Beh was a wonderful teacher and human being. I was lucky to have her as an art teacher at Dominican High during the seventies. She was thoughtful and had a wonderful sense of humor, too. Very relatable and kind. I'm grateful to have shared some time with her.
With sympathy and love,
Marge Kelly

Avatar  Dona Rompel White 3 years agoReply

Sister Mary Margret, Sister Ann Pauline to me, was a great influence in my early days at Regina Dominican. I came to Regina as a public school brat and also a non-Catholic who had never seen a nun in my life. I knew nothing about Catholic school etiquette. Clearly out of my comfort zone and not knowing a single soul, I frequently found myself in the principal’s office for whatever sin I had committed earlier! And of course, it did not help that I didn’t even know how to address a nun!
I hated everything about Regina except for art class. It was there that Sister Ann Pauline encouraged my artistic interest but even more importantly, recognized that I was truly a duck out of water! Lucky for me, she took time to know me and teach me about so much more than art. Because of her I stayed at Regina and became a convert.
I am quite certain Heaven was overjoyed to welcome such a kind soul into the Kingdom! May she Rest In Peace.
Dona Rompel White
Regina Class of 1962



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