Sister Anita (Mary Christopher) Swansen was born in Almena, Wis. She entered religious life on Aug. 30, 1958, and professed first vows on June 20, 1960. She holds a BA from Mount Senario College, Ladysmith

Sister Mary Christina Gelting, OSM, 89, died peacefully June 15, 2014, at Ladysmith Care & Rehab in Ladysmith Wis. Sister was born in Cumberland, Wis., on April 24, 1925. She joined the Servants of Mary in 1942 and professed first vows in 1944. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Norbert College in DePere, Wis. and a master’s in Earth Science at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana through a National Science Foundation grant. She was awarded two other National Science Foundation grants for summer studies in Biology and Physics after receiving her Masters. Sister Christina was a born teacher whose long teaching career spanned more than 50 years. She taught 5th and 6th grades for 20 years and 7th and 8th grades for 30 years in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. She started an all-school science program at Saint Rose of Lima School in Saint Paul, Minn., where she taught for 18 consecutive years. She also taught science, math, geography, and religion at Servite High School, Ladysmith, from 1962-64, and freshman biology at Mount Senario College, Ladysmith, the summers of 1975 and 1976. Upon retiring from teaching in 1994, she was included in that year’s Who’s Who Among American Teachers. After her retirement from the classroom she spent ten years as coordinator of the Senior Citizen Club at the Howard Area Community Center in Chicago. She then moved to Ladysmith where she lived at the Motherhouse and Care Partners Assisted Living. Sister is survived by her brother William (Carol Ann), her sister Teresa Cihunka, extended family, friends, and her Servite Sisters. She was preceded in death by her parents Bernard and Christina (Becker) Gelting and brothers Bernard (Joan) and Melvin (Janet).

Sister Mary Charles Prince, 89, died April 24 at Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Saint Petersburg, Florida. She entered the Servants of Mary in 1935, just nine days after her cousin Sister Mary Roberta Prince. Her sister, Sister Mary Peter Prince (deceased), entered the following year. Sister earned a bachelor of arts and master of education degree from Loyola University in Chicago. She studied French at Laval University in Quebec and later at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she was awarded a master of arts degree. Sister taught in parochial schools staffed by the Servite Sisters in Illinois, New Jersey, West Virginia, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. She was administrator of Addolorata Villa in Wheeling, Illinois, for a short time. She taught French for ten years in the Pinellas County Schools in Florida. After retiring from teaching, she managed apartment rentals for foreign students and low-income families in Saint Petersburg.

Sister Mary Eugenia Tremblay1921–2016 Sister Mary Eugenia Tremblay, 95, died peacefully on May 5, 2016, at Addolorata Villa, Wheeling, Ill. She was born in Chippewa County, Colburn Township, Wisconsin on August 16, 1921 to Alexander and Magdalen (Russell) Trembay the youngest of seven children and grew up in Ladysmith, Wis. She joined the Servants of Mary in 1937. After she was professed in 1939, she attended Rusk County Normal School for two years, and received her teacher’s certificate. She then was assigned to teach kindergarten for eight years. She took summer courses at Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wis., Fordham University in New York, and De Paul University, Chicago, where she earned a bachelor’s degree with a major in English. After graduating from DePaul, she went on to study for a year and a half at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., graduating with an MA in English. Besides teaching kindergarten, Sister’s other teaching experiences included teaching in Servite staffed elementary schools in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. She served as professor of English at Mount Senario College, Ladysmith, Wis., and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Sister authored two books of poetry and a historical novel, "Healing Saint: Saint Peregrine, Servant of Mary." Sister Eugenia, together with her older sister, Sister Mary Celestine, moved to Sherman, Ill., in 1981 and worked with the elderly for nine years. The sisters retired in 2000 and moved to Addolorata Villa, where they volunteered in the activities department. In 2005 they moved to Felician Village in Manitowoc, Wis., to be closer to their elderly brother, Father Eugene Tremblay, OMI. They returned to Addolorata Villa in 2008. Sister Eugenia died in her 77th year of religious profession. She was preceded in death by her parents and all her siblings.

Sister Mary Catherine Izral passed away on November 17, 2016, at the age of 97 at Regina Senior Living in Hastings, Minnesota. She was born on April 30, 1919, in Chicago to John and Teresa (Zahora) Izral, who immigrated from Jablonka, now part of Poland. Her family later moved to a farm in Catawba, Wisconsin. She worked in the hosiery department at Sears before joining the Servants of Mary in 1939, taking her first vows in 1941. Sister Mary Catherine earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Saint Catherine and a master's degree from the University of Minnesota. She dedicated 35 years to teaching in Catholic elementary schools and also contributed to religious education and sacristy work at Saint Agnes Parish in Saint Paul. She retired in 2007 to Regina Senior Living and celebrated her 75th jubilee in 2016. She is survived by her brother John, a retired Catholic priest in Mississippi.

Sister Mary Camillus Cote, OSM, was born in 1928 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She entered the Servants of Mary in 1946 and professed her final vows in 1952. Sister Mary Camillus dedicated her life to education, serving as a teacher and principal in various schools across the United States. She was known for her commitment to her students and her ability to inspire them. Sister Mary Camillus passed away in 2019, leaving behind a legacy of service and dedication to her faith and community. Sister Mary Camillus was born in Ramets, Slovenia, in 1910. She joined the Sisters of Mercy in 1928 and dedicated her life to serving others. She worked as a nurse and teacher, providing care and education to those in need. Sister Mary Camillus was known for her compassion and commitment to her faith. She passed away in 1995, leaving behind a legacy of service and devotion.

Sister Marie Rubbelke (1938-2020) was 82 years old and had a diverse career as a teacher, nurse, and cosmetologiSaint She also dedicated her time to volunteering with the elderly.

Sister Mary Bridget Mahoney (1901–1989), born Elizabeth Susanna Mahoney in Faribault, Minn., was one of seven children. Her family moved to West Virginia, where she met Father McSwiggan, and she joined the Servite Sisters at age 33, taking the name Sister Mary Bridget. She made her vows by 1936 and loved horses, leading a campaign that helped ban wild horse hunting by plane, ultimately law in 1959. She worked with Velma Johnston, “Wild Horse Annie,” to protect wild mustangs. She cultivated a garden at the motherhouse for over 30 years, caring for animals like a donkey and horse, and raised chickens. An artist, she painted animals and built a nativity set used at hospitals and a villa. Moving to Addolorata Villa in 1970, she worked in the kitchen, sewing, and did upholstering, also making rosaries for missions. She died at 87, with a Mass of Christian Burial held in 1989.

Anna Hayes, one of the founders of the Servants of Mary of Ladysmith, was born on June 20, 1878, in Cumberland, nna Hayes, one of the founders of the Servants of Mary of Ladysmith, was born on June 20, 1878, in Cumberland, England, to John and Esther (Stratton) Hayes. She was baptized on June 30 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Cleator, Cumberland. She had one sister, Madeline, and one brother, Patrick. In May 1886, when Anna was eight years old, the family immigrated to the United States and settled in Chicago. On Sept. 12, 1911, at the age of 33, Anna joined the Sisters of Saint Joseph at La Grange, Ill. She was a novice in 1912 when Father Boniface Efferenn, OSM, encouraged a number of sisters from La Grange to go to Ladysmith to teach in the new parochial school and to start a new Servite foundation. Anna was eager to be a part of the project. She left the La Grange community on Sept. 12, 1912, and spent a year with her family in Chicago before traveling to Ladysmith to join the five sisters who had arrived the previous year. Anna stepped off the train in Ladysmith on Aug. 12, 1913, decked out in a red dress and carrying a parasol. She was invested in the Servite habit as a novice along with the other five founders on Feb. 12, 1914, and received the name Sister Mary Boniface. She made her first profession of vows on July 24, 1915, and her final profession on Aug. 8, 1919. Sister Mary Boniface worked with Sister Mary Alphonse Bradley, OSM, in overseeing the construction of Saint Mary’s Hospital in Ladysmith. For many years, Sister Mary Boniface cooked, kept house, and looked after the maintenance of the hospital, the motherhouse, and the Sisters’ farm. She served as a member of the Servants of Mary General Council from the time the congregation was approved as an independent religious institute in 1919 until 1955. Following the death of Mother Mary Rose Smith, OSM, on Jan. 25, 1955, Bishop Joseph J. Annabring appointed Sister Mary Boniface to serve as Prioress General until the election of Mother Mary Patricia McLaughlin, OSM, on Aug. 18, 1955. In her later years Sister Mary Boniface was plagued by arthritis. Yet even then she took an active interest in the daily life of the community at the motherhouse where she resided. Sister Mary Boniface died in Ladysmith on July 11, 1964, less than a month after Father Boniface was laid to reSaint She was 86. Father Gerard Calkins, OSM, presided at the Solemn Requiem Mass in the motherhouse chapel on July 14, assisted by Father Patrick Roche, OSM, and Father Clarence Ludwig of Saint Francis Parish, Spooner, Wis. Burial was in the convent cemetery in Ladysmith.

Sister Mary Bernice VanderLoop (Sister Mary Baptista) 1920–2011 Sister Mary Bernice VanderLoop, 91, passed away on Sept. 14, 2011. Born on Jan. 28, 1920, in Ladysmith, she was the fourth of 13 children. After attending local schools, she taught for three years before enlisting in the Army during World War II, where she worked at the Pentagon. In 1947, she joined the Servants of Mary and earned degrees in education. She served as a teacher and principal in various states and became the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Superior, breaking new ground as a laywoman in this role. She served as President of the Servants of Mary from 1980 to 1986 and retired at the motherhouse, contributing her time to Servite Center for Life.