Obituaries are featured at the top of the page for six months. The searchable list below includes obituaries from 2021 and going into the future. Additional historic obituaries will continue to be added.
Marie Scott
September 11, 1949-October 30, 2025
Download Sister's obituary as a PDF.
Descarga la obituario en español
Give a donation in honor of Sister Marie Scott
Download the prayer service booklet as a PDF.
Download the booklet for the Mass of Christian Burial as a PDF.
Sister Marie Scott, CSA, baptized Joan Marie, died peacefully October 30, 2025, at St. Francis Home, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Marie was born September 11, 1949, in Gary, Indiana, the daughter of Ruth Ann Scott. As an infant she was adopted by her grandparents, Richard and Elizabeth McGrath Scott. Their nine children became brothers and sisters to Marie and together they shared many happy childhood memories. Marie attended St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School and Crown Point High School, Crown Point, Indiana. Upon graduation from high school, she began working in the Metallurgical Laboratory at US Steel, Gary, Indiana, and earned a technician’s degree in metallurgy from Indiana University. During her nine years at US Steel, Marie belonged to one of the national chapters of NOW, the National Organization for Women. This group empowered her to initiate a collective class action lawsuit on behalf of women in several steel mills who faced discrimination and earned lower wages than male employees. She was instrumental in helping the women win the lawsuit, an achievement that Marie described as one of the highlights of her life. Following this effort, Marie received an Associate Degree in Religious Education from Calumet College of St. Joseph, Hammond, Indiana. She began serving as a volunteer at St. Mary’s Parish in Crown Point, teaching English as a second language to Vietnamese boat people. Her volunteer service led her to reconnect with her grade schoolteachers, the Sisters of St. Agnes, who encouraged her to consider religious life. The sisters invited her to join them for a summer mission experience working with children in Seboyeta, New Mexico, to see if she enjoyed working alongside sisters in ministry. This experience led Marie to enter St. Agnes Convent September 5, 1977. She made her first profession of vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes on July 24, 1981, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Over her years in active ministry, Sister Marie earned a BS in Education, majoring in history and theology, from Marian College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; an MA in US History from Fordham University, Bronx, NY; and an MA in Pastoral Ministry with a focus on pastoral counseling and spiritual direction from St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She lived and served with joyful energy, creativity, and dedication first as a high school history and religion teacher at St. Mary’s Springs, Fond du Lac (1982-1983) and at Sacred Heart High School, Yonkers, New York (1983-1988). In 1988, she was appointed to the role of vocation director for CSA, a position she held until the summer of 1990 when she was named novice director for the congregation, serving in this role for ten years. While director of novices, she began ministering at Marian University, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (1991) teaching part-time in the history department. In 1997, she became the Director of Campus Ministry and Assistant Professor of History. She devoted twenty-seven years to Marian University retiring in 2018. She was beloved on the campus by students, faculty, and staff, serving as a spiritual guide and creating many opportunities for the Marian community to engage in social justice efforts and outreach to those in need. In 2018, Sister Marie was appointed as a CSA Regional Coordinator, ministering to the sisters across the United States. Sister Marie served on several committees for her CSA community and engaged in many social justice and peace initiatives. The CSA community gathers each Advent at St. Agnes Convent for the annual lighting of the Peace Tree, a tradition Sister Marie initiated in 1991 at the beginning of the Gulf War.
Beginning in 2020, health issues began to ravage her body. The many people with whom Sister shared life and ministry surrounded her with their presence and support. She was admitted to St. Francis Home in March 2023 and received loving care until the time of her death.
Sister Marie was preceded in death by her birth mother, Ruth Scott Crippen, her adoptive parents, her brothers Kenneth, Paul, James, and Buehl; her sisters Joan Cerovina, Lois (Richard) Thompson, and Faye (John) McLeod.
Sister is survived by her brothers Jerome Scott and Harry (Sheri) Crippen; her nieces, nephews, and their families and by the Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
Cremation has taken place.
Services for Sister Marie will be held Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A Prayer Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be held at 1:30 p.m. at St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Fr. Thomas Zelinski, OFM Cap., presiding.
Burial of cremains will follow, weather permitting, at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Scott family are grateful to the nurses and staff of St. Francis Home and Hospice Hope for their devoted care of Marie.
Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Agnes.
Cecile Marie Kees
September 14, 1927 - October 13, 2025
Download Sister's obituary as a PDF.
Descarga la obituario en español
Give a donation in honor of Sister Cecile Marie Kees
Download the prayer service booklet as a PDF.
Download the booklet for the Mass of Christian Burial as a PDF.
Sister Cecile Marie Kees, CSA, baptized Alfreda Veronica, died peacefully October 13, 2025, at St. Francis Home, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Alfreda was born in St. John, Wisconsin, on September 14, 1927, to Michael and Clara Popp Kees. Her father’s first wife, Theresa, died leaving three small children. Michael then married Clara and together they had ten girls and four boys creating a close-knit family of seventeen children. As a young child Alfreda thought about being a Sister yet quickly put such thoughts aside as she enjoyed life on the family farm. After eighth grade graduation she was hired by her uncle to do household chores for his wife who was ill. She was happy in this role until her mother died when she was fifteen. Alfreda returned home to help care for her eight younger siblings. While managing many family responsibilities, the desire she first experienced in childhood to be a Sister began to tug at her heart again. After much prayer and with the blessing of her father, she entered St. Agnes Convent on August 30, 1947. She attended St. Agnes High School graduating in 1950. She made her first profession of vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Cecile Marie on August 15, 1952, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Sister earned a BS in Education from Marian College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; a master’s degree in elementary education from St. Francis College, Fort Wayne, Indiana; and a master’s degree in theology from St. Thomas University, Houston, Texas. She served in rural and urban settings as an elementary teacher, a coordinator of religious education and adult formation, and as a pastoral and social service outreach minister. Sister Cecile Marie’s heart for the poor and needy guided her ministerial commitments. She lived keenly aware of God’s presence directing her life and the lives of those she served.
Sister Cecile Marie taught in parish schools in New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Wisconsin (1952-1978). She then was assigned as Director of Religious Education for all ages at St. Jude Parish, Beloit, Wisconsin (1979-1984). From 1984-1986, Sister relished living and engaging in ministry at Unity House on the South Side of Chicago, a CSA sponsored neighborhood outreach center in the inner city. She also taught religion classes at Holy Angels Catholic School near Unity House. While at Unity House, Sister felt called to spend time with the Living Stones of Jesus, a charismatic religious community for single women and men founded by her sister, Sister Annacile Kees. She was granted permission to spend a year in prayer and discernment with this community to seek where God was calling her. After this year, Sister returned home to CSA firmly convinced of her call to be a Sister of St. Agnes. Following her return, she served as Director of Religious Education at SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Hortonville, Wisconsin, and then was assigned to be Assistant Coordinator at Nazareth Heights, the CSA retirement center in Fond du Lac. Sister’s final nine years in active ministry were spent serving in a variety of pastoral roles with Sister Jovita Winkel in the northern Wisconsin parish cluster of Our Lady of Sorrows, in Ladysmith, St. Anthony, in Tony, and St. Mary in Hawkins.
Sister chose to return to Fond du Lac in 2003, living at a local mission house and then at the CSA motherhouse while volunteering as a seamstress for the retired sisters at Nazareth Court & Center. In 2010, Sister became a resident at the retirement center, continuing to volunteer as she was able. She was loved for her caring, faith-filled presence among the sisters, the staff, and all the residents, especially those at St. Francis Home, where she lived her final days. Until she was called home, she reached out to touch others with the goodness of God in her own unique and beloved ways.
Sister Cecile Marie was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Adelbert, Herman, Joseph, and Leonard, her sisters Rita Mueller, Alvera Kees, Lillian Kees, Ruth Uitenbroek, Hildegard Kees, Sister Annacile Kees, Regina Brickner, and Sister Marie Kees, CSA.
Sister is survived by her brothers Martin and Michael (Christine) Kees, her sisters Dorothy (Roland) Brandt, and Ann (Charles) Peters; her nieces, nephews, their families and by the Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
Services for Sister Cecile Marie will be held on Monday, October 20, 2025.
Visitation will be held from 9:00–11:00 a.m. and 12:00–1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A Prayer Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be at 2:00 p.m. at St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Fr. Thomas Zelinski, OFM Cap., presiding.
Burial will take place at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, at a time to be determined following cremation.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Kees family are grateful to the nurses and staff of Nazareth Court and Center, St. Francis Home, and Hospice Hope for their devoted care of Sister Cecile Marie.
Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Agnes
Anne Jude Van Lanen
December 23, 1933 - October 7, 2025
Download Sister's obituary as a PDF.
Descarga la obituario en español
Give a donation in honor of Sister Anne Jude
Download the prayer service booklet as a PDF.
Download the booklet for the Mass of Christian Burial as a PDF.
Sister Anne Jude Van Lanen, CSA, baptized as Rosanne Colette, died peacefully on October 7, 2025, at Nazareth Center, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Rosanne was born December 23, 1933, in Wrightstown, Wisconsin, the daughter of Frank and Catherine (Vander Heiden) Van Lanen. She grew up on her family farm with her eight brothers and sisters. After high school graduation in 1952, Rosanne attended St. Agnes School of Nursing, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, staffed by the Sisters of St. Agnes. Inspired by the sisters, Rosanne chose to enter St. Agnes Convent on October 17, 1954. She made her first profession of vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Anne Jude on August 15, 1957, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A graduate of St. Agnes School of Nursing in 1955, Sister Anne Jude received a BS in Nursing Education in 1958 from Marian College, Fond du Lac. She began her life-long ministry in healthcare at St. Agnes Hospital, Fond du Lac, where she served as a head nurse and night supervisor (August 1955-December 1960). Sister’s dream of being a missionary nurse came true in 1961 when she was assigned to serve at Clínica Santa Inés in Waspam, Nicaragua (1961-1970). Besides working in the clinic, she traveled the river to villages up and down the Río Coco providing medical, dental, and midwifery services. She also trained local health workers.
When health issues caused Sister to return to the United States in October 1970, she took a position as a staff nurse, PM supervisor, and Home Care Nurse at St. Anthony Hospital, Hays, Kansas (July 1971-July 1973). In July 1973, Sister was elected to the General Council for the Congregation serving the community for four years in this position. She also served at various times in other congregational leadership roles, including Retirement Coordinator for CSA, Local Leader at St. Agnes Convent, and Local Coordinator at Nazareth Court & Center.
Sister Anne Jude is honored in the Fond du Lac community as one of the founders of hospice care in the city. Beginning in 1977, when the hospice movement was still in its early stages in the United States, Sister traveled to England with Sister Mary Agreda Touchett to research hospice services being developed in that country. Upon their return, they worked with Peg Cerny, RN, other Fond du Lac healthcare providers, and community leaders to establish Agnesian HealthCare Hospice Hope. The program was approved by the State of Wisconsin in 1980. Hospice began as a home visit program followed by the opening of the first inpatient hospice beds at St. Agnes Hospital in 1982. Sister served as a hospice nurse after its founding until 1990.
In 1990 Sister returned to Nicaragua, living in Puerto Cabezas and assisting in the formation program for Latin American women entering the Congregation of St. Agnes, a role she held for six years.
Upon her return to Fond du Lac, she was appointed Local Coordinator at Nazareth Court & Center (1998-2002). Her final years in healthcare ministry were devoted to serving as a chaplain for home hospice patients and those at Hospice Home of Hope. In May of 2018, Sister Anne Jude became a resident at Nazareth Court & Center where she engaged in the life of the community and received loving care until the time of her death. Sister Anne Jude expressed gratitude for her life in this way:
“Mine was a life enriched by all those with whom and to whom I had the privilege of ministering - as nurse - as Sister - in Nicaragua - in CSA community service - in religious life formation - as hospice nurse, chaplain, and volunteer. A life enriched by shared relationships and song—always singing!”
Sister was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Rueben, Ralph, Norbert, Francis, William and Eugene; her sisters Colette Vandehey Nytes and Mary Nelessen Kessler; her niece Sister Kathleen Nelessen, CSA.
She is survived by many nieces, nephews, extended family, and the Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
Cremation has taken place.
All services for Sister Anne Jude will be held on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
Visitation will be from 9:00–11:00 a.m. and from 12:00–1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A Prayer Service will be offered at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for Sister at 2:00 p.m. at St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin with Father Tom Zelinski presiding. Burial of cremains will follow at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Van Lanen family are grateful to the nurses and staff of Nazareth Court and Center and Hospice Hope for their care of Sister Anne Jude.
Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
Paulette Shaw
July 27, 1935-September 3, 2025
Download Sister's obituary as a PDF.
Descarga la obituario en español
Give a donation in honor of Sister Paulette Shaw
Download the prayer service booklet as a PDF.
Download the booklet for the Mass of Christian Burial as a PDF.
Sister Paulette Shaw CSA, baptized Marilyn Ann, died on September 3, 2025, at Nazareth Center, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Marilyn was born July 27, 1935, in Columbus, Ohio, the second of thirteen children of Herschael Armstead and Mildred G. Lordier Shaw. Marilyn grew up with her six brothers and six sisters in Muncie, Indiana, and attended St. Lawrence Elementary School staffed by the Sisters of St. Agnes. Beginning in sixth grade, she felt a strong yearning to serve God and God’s people. She researched several congregations of women religious as her desire to be a sister became stronger. After her high school graduation in 1953, she chose to enter St. Agnes Convent. She made her first profession of vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Paulette on August 15, 1956, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Although Sister Paulette began taking courses in education and natural studies at Marian College, she was soon asked by CSA to pursue a nursing program instead. She considered this request a true blessing which allowed her to work with adults throughout her life: doctors, nurses, and patients. Sister received her nursing diploma from St. Agnes School of Nursing in 1959. She went on to complete her BS in Nursing Education and Health Sciences from Marian College in 1966, opening the way for her to serve both as a nurse and a nursing instructor in many settings throughout her years in active ministry.
While a student nurse, Sister Paulette worked at St. Agnes Hospital, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (1956-1960). She then served as a pediatric head nurse and nursing supervisor at St. Clare Hospital, Monroe, Wisconsin (1960-1965). During her initial years of nursing, she volunteered to serve in the foreign missions of the congregation. Thinking she would not be chosen, she found fulfillment and joy serving at St. Clare Hospital in her various roles. Her request to serve in CSA’s foreign missions was granted in 1965 when she was assigned with three other nurses to Quito, Ecuador. Sister prepared for her new ministry by enrolling in language and cultural classes at the Intercultural Institute at the Catholic University in Ponce, Puerto Rico, followed by working for seven months at the Clínica Santa Inés in Waspam, Nicaragua.
Beginning in 1966, Sister lovingly served the people of Ecuador for six years in several roles: a nurse in rural clinics, a director of nursing for a Catholic hospital, a nursing consultant for the World Health Organization, and an instructor of nurses, aides, and medical technicians. She also was regularly invited to participate in the Bishops’ Conference of Ecuador and to interact with priests, religious, and laity from all parts of Latin America studying at the Instituto Pastoral de América Latina. Sister also served on several national and diocesan committees studying and implementing ways of evangelizing in a country with all its variations of climate and hundreds of ethnic groups.
Suffering from altitude sickness, Sister returned to the United States in 1972 to live and minister with her CSA Sisters in Arizona. She worked among the poor and vulnerable as a hospital nurse and as an outreach coordinator for the elderly. Beginning in 1976, she became a pastoral minister at St. Augustine Cathedral Parish in Tucson where she engaged in community organizing and in a variety of parish and outreach roles for twenty-eight years. After retiring from full-time ministry, Sister remained in Tucson and was active in volunteer ministries. She returned to Fond du Lac in 2015 to join her CSA sisters at Nazareth Court & Center while receiving loving care until the time of her death. Her yearnings from childhood to serve God and those in need were fulfilled through her missionary heart shared in a life of devoted service.
Sister Paulette was preceded in death by her parents; her brother James; her sisters Eva Mae Hunter, Nancy Doerner, and Virginia McGahey.
She is survived by her brothers Tony, Joseph, Mike (Marirose), Richard, and Phillip (Marla); her sisters Janice (Gary) Good, Dolores Shaw, and Paulette (James) Anderson; her sister-in-law, Diana Shaw; her nieces and nephews and their families, and the Sisters of St. Agnes with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
All services for Sister Paulette will be held on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
Visitation will be from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A Prayer Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for Sister Paulette at 2:00 p.m. at St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Father Tom Zelinski presiding. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Shaw family are grateful to the nurses and staff of Nazareth Court and Center and Hospice Hope for their care of Sister Paulette.
Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
Carole Gurdak
February 3, 1939-September 1, 2025
Download Sister's obituary as a PDF.
Descarga la obituario en español
Give a donation in honor of Sister Carole Gurdak
Download the prayer service booklet as a PDF.
Download the booklet for the Mass of Christian Burial as a PDF.
Sister Carole Gurdak, CSA, formerly Sister Miriam Joseph, died peacefully September 1, 2025, at St. Francis Home, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Carole was born February 3, 1939, in Yonkers, New York, to Joseph and Catherine Farrell Gurdak. She grew up with her younger brother, Joseph, in Yonkers and attended Catholic grade school staffed by the Sisters of Charity. She met the Sisters of St. Agnes while a student at Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers. In 1955, after her junior year at Sacred Heart, Carole entered St. Agnes Convent where she completed her high school education and began the formation process for religious life. She made her first profession of vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Miriam Joseph on August 15, 1958, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Sister Carole earned a BS in Elementary Education from Marian College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and an MS in Educational Guidance from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Throughout her years as an educator, she enhanced her professional skills with additional credits and certificates in religious education; elementary administration; and instructional leadership, innovation, and individualized learning. Sister Carole began her years as a teacher at St. Patrick School, Fond du Lac (1959), and then taught grades 1–8 in various parish schools in Wisconsin and New York. She was both a teacher and principal at St. Peter Claver School, Sheboygan, Wisconsin (1970–1972) and at St. Mary Grade School, Fond du Lac (1972-1973). From 1973–1979, Sister was principal of the combined Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic School, Fond du Lac.
Sister was appointed Apostolic Councilor for her CSA community (1979–1982), doing personnel work among those sisters who staffed elementary schools outside of Wisconsin. She felt privileged to accompany the sisters and to work with pastors, especially during times of transition due to changes in the availability of sisters to continue ministering in a particular school.
Upon completion of this role, Sister Carole focused her ministry in the South, beginning in Mississippi and Alabama, serving in various parish settings as a teacher, a principal, and as the Curriculum Coordinator for the Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama. In 1995, Sister moved to Winter Haven, Florida, working as guidance counselor and assistant principal at St. Joseph School, while sharing responsibilities with her Capuchin brother for the care of their frail elderly parents who had retired to Winter Haven from New York. After the death of her parents in 1998, Sister moved to New York City and taught 5th grade for three years at Our Lady of Sorrows School on the Lower Eastside of the city. Following this teaching assignment, she took classes in grant writing, did substitute teaching and parish ministry until asked to return to Fond du Lac to be part of the team of Local Coordinators caring for the retired sisters at Nazareth Court & Center, a role she held from 2003-2007.
After a year of sabbatical, Sister returned to New York City where she accepted the position as Office Manager for a non-governmental organization at the United Nations. Retiring from this position, she volunteered as a receptionist at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Manhattan. Sister remained in Manhattan, living with her CSA sisters at The Leo House, until declining health necessitated her move back to Fond du Lac in August 2016. She received care at Nazareth Court & Center and St. Francis Home until the time of her death.
Reflecting upon her life, Sister Carole was deeply grateful for her many and varied opportunities to teach, to heal, and to serve others in need. They in turn enriched her life. She stated, “The challenges were many, but the blessings far greater.”
Preceding Sister Carole in death were her parents and her brother, Father Joseph Gurdak, OFM, Cap.
Sister is survived by her cousins, their families, and the Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
Cremation has taken place.
Services for Sister Carole will be held on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A Prayer Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be offered at 2:00 p.m. at St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Father Thomas Zelinski, OFM, Cap., presiding.
Burial of cremains will follow at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Gurdak family are grateful to the nurses and staff of Nazareth Court and Center, St. Francis Home, and Hospice Hope for their devoted care of Sister Carole.
Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
Clare Lawlor
September 14, 1950-July 9, 2025
Download Sister's obituary as a PDF.
Descarga la obituario en español
Give a donation in honor of Sister Clare Lawlor
Download the prayer service booklet as a PDF.
Download the booklet for the Mass of Christian Burial as a PDF.
Sister Clare Lawlor, CSA, died peacefully July 9, 2025, at Nazareth Center, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Clare was born September 14, 1950, in White Plains, New York, to Walter Edward and Irene Kerr Lawlor. She met the Sisters of St. Agnes while attending Sacred Heart Elementary School, Yonkers, New York, and through her older sister, Sister Gilmary Lawlor, CSA. Growing up in the 1960s, Clare was keenly aware of the impact of the Vietnam War and related social issues of the day. During high school, she decided that she wanted to be an educator, an activist, and join the Peace Corps. She chose to attend Marian College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. After her first year at Marian, Clare saw that the CSA Sisters were engaging in the types of peace and justice advocacy that she could do in the Peace Corps. She entered St. Agnes Convent in September 1969. She made her first profession of vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes on June 19, 1972, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Sister Clare’s hopes of being an educator and an activist evolved as she lived out her life in ministry and community as a Sister of St. Agnes. She earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Marian College in 1972. For the next eleven years, Sister Clare was a gifted and creative elementary teacher at parish schools in Wisconsin and Illinois. Working with her students, she realized that the difficulty some had with learning was due not to their level of intelligence; it was due to what was happening in their lives. In 1983, she left the classroom and enrolled in graduate school at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, focusing on children and adolescents. Earning her Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree in 1990, she became a licensed clinical psychologist providing clinical services in Illinois at Maryville Academy, Des Plaines, a residential treatment facility for children and adolescents, and at The Children’s Place Association, Chicago, an inpatient, respite foster care agency for HIV affected children and families.
From 1995 – 2005, Sister Clare was a professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology serving in various roles on the doctoral faculty including chair of 20 dissertations and an appointment as co-Director of Clinical Training. During this time, she and Sister Julie Ann Krahl, her CSA living companion, provided foster care for four children.
In 2005, Sister Clare joined the faculty in the Psychology Department at Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois. She attained the status of tenured full professor, serving in numerous teaching, supervision, and administrative roles and culminating in her appointment as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. At Lewis she seriously pursued her artistic interests taking art courses at the University. Her creativity and natural abilities were showcased in several art shows including Marian University in 2018 and Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, Fond du Lac, in 2023.
In 2015, Sister Clare and Sister Julie Ann joined the NETWORK Nuns on the Bus Tours begun by Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, to give national visibility to the efforts of women religious in promoting the principles of Catholic Social Justice Teaching. Their daily rallies, community agency visits, and public town halls were designed especially to impact the political arena by educating voters and advocating for legislation and policies to advance the common good. They continued to participate in tours in 2016 and 2018. This experience was life-changing for Sister Clare and led her to retire from her administrative position at Lewis University and return to Fond du Lac to provide advocacy and direct mental health services to the vulnerable.
Beginning in 2017, Sister Clare worked for ten months as a Clinical Psychologist in the Behavioral Outpatient Department at Agnesian HealthCare. In 2019 Sister Clare worked with Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas, providing basic services for incoming refugees and asylum seekers. She then began to volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul in Fond du Lac in the Getting Ahead Program by creating “Art in a Cart,” an art-based alternative mental health program for residents of the Katharine Drexel Homeless Shelter. Sister also served on the CSA Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Committee.
Sister Clare’s efforts were cut short when she began facing serious health issues in 2021. She continued serving as she was able until she needed greater care for herself. She joined her CSA sisters at Nazareth Court & Center on March 24, 2025. She participated as she could with the sisters and shared her artistic talents by providing art classes. She received the support of her sisters and the devoted care of the nursing staff until the time of her death.
Sister Clare was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Sister Gilmary Lawlor, CSA.
Sister is survived by her brothers Christopher (Sally) Lawlor and Mark Lawlor;
her nephews, grandnephews, and families; and by the Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
Cremation has taken place.
All services for Sister Clare will be held on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A Prayer Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be offered at 2:00 p.m. in St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Fr. Thomas Zelinski. OFM, Cap., presiding.
Burial of cremains will follow in St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Lawlor family are grateful to the nurses and staff of Nazareth Court and Center and Hospice Hope for their care of Sister Clare.
Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
Marie Kees
August 22, 1928-July 6, 2025
Download Sister's obituary as a PDF.
Descarga la obituario en español
Give a donation in honor of Sister Marie Kees
Download the prayer service booklet as a PDF.
Download the booklet for the Mass of Christian Burial as a PDF.
Marie Clara was born August 22, 1928, in St. John, Wisconsin, to Michael and Clara Popp Kees. Her father’s first wife, Theresa, died leaving three small children. Michael then married Clara and together they had ten girls and four boys creating a close-knit family of seventeen children. Beginning in eighth grade, Marie felt a call to religious life. However, her mother died when she was fourteen years old. Being the oldest daughter at home, she put aside thoughts of being a sister to take over the household responsibilities for the family, caring especially for her two-week-old sister and twenty-one-month-old brother. With the blessing of her family after six years of devoted care for them, she entered St. Agnes Convent on September 2, 1949. She made her first profession of vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Michael Ann on August 15, 1954, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Sister Marie shared her warm and nurturing spirit, shaped by her family circumstances, with those she served in her life as a teacher, principal, director of religious education, and pastoral minister. She prepared for her ministries by receiving a BS in Elementary Education from Marian College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and a Masters in Education from Marygrove College, Detroit, Michigan. Throughout her years in active ministry, she earned certifications in religious education and took courses in administration, theology, scripture, ministry to the elderly, prayer, liturgy, and Spanish to enrich her ministerial presence and skills.
Sister served in Wisconsin as a teacher and as a catechist at St. Mary’s School, Fond du Lac, at Brother Dutton School, Beloit, and at St. Luke’s School, Two Rivers, from 1954-1970. She then took on the role of principal and catechist at St. Ignatius School, Houghton, Michigan (1970-1971) and at the Consolidated Catholic School in Lomira and Theresa, Wisconsin (1971-1979). From 1979-1982, Sister Marie served as the Director of Religious Education
(Pre-School – 8th grade) at St. Bernard Parish, Watertown, Wisconsin. After offering two years of supportive services at the CSA Motherhouse (1982-1984), Sister devoted herself to pastoral ministry. She served at St. Joseph Parish, Rosemount, Minnesota (1984-1998), and at St. Maria Goretti Parish, Madison, Wisconsin, from 1998-2011, where she was a full-time pastoral minister for three years and then served for ten years as a volunteer engaging in a wide variety of parish outreach activities. She was the On-Site Coordinator for the CSA Associates from Madison and Monroe, Wisconsin. Sister Marie is fondly remembered by the many people whose lives she touched in her places of ministry as evidenced by all who have stayed connected with her through the years.
Sister Marie returned to Fond du Lac in 2011, lived at the CSA motherhouse, and volunteered where needed in CSA and in the Fond du Lac community. One of her favorite pastimes was crocheting baby caps for newborns at St. Agnes Hospital, an activity she began at St. Mary’s Hospital, Madison. In September 2019, Sister joined the CSA retirement community at Nazareth Court and Center, Fond du Lac. Recently as her health declined, she became a resident of St. Francis Home where she received loving care until the time of her death.
Sister Marie was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Adelbert, Herman, Joseph, and Leonard; her sisters Rita Mueller, Alvera Kees, Lillian Kees, Ruth Uitenbroek, Hildegard Kees, Sister Annacile Kees, LSJ, and Regina Brickner.
Sister is survived by her brothers Martin and Michael (Christine) Kees; her sisters Sister Cecile Marie Kees, CSA, Dorothy (Roland) Brandt, and Ann (Charles) Peters; her nieces, nephews, and their families; and by the Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
Services for Sister Marie will be held on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A Prayer Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. in the Nazareth Center Chapel, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be at 2:00 p.m. at St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Fr. Thomas Zelinski, OFM Cap., presiding.
Burial will take place at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, at a time to be determined following cremation.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Kees family are grateful to the nurses and staff of Nazareth Court and Center, St. Francis Home, and Hospice Hope for their devoted care of Sister Marie.
Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
Marise Meis
September 23, 1939-July 3, 2025
Download Sister's obituary as a PDF.
Descarga la obituario en español
Give a donation in honor of Sister Marise Meis>
Download the prayer service booklet as a PDF.
Download the booklet for the Mass of Christian Burial as a PDF.
Sister Marise Meis, CSA, baptized Mary Agnes, died peacefully July 3, 2025, at St. Francis Home, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Mary Agnes was born September 23, 1939, in Russell, Kansas, to Servillian (Bill) and Irene Weigel Meis. She was the second oldest of a family of eight children, two boys and six girls. Inspired by the Sisters of St. Agnes during her grade school and early high school years, she entered St. Agnes Convent in 1955 at the age of fifteen with her older sister, Shirley, now remembered as Sister Mary Rose Meis, CSA. Mary completed her high school education at St. Agnes High School and continued in formation for religious life. She made her first profession of vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Marise on August 15, 1959, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Sister Marise began her life of ministry as an elementary teacher at St. Patrick’s School in Fond du Lac, and at Holy Family School, Bronx, New York, while earning her BS in Education from Marian College, Fond du Lac. During her years in the Bronx, Sister enrolled in Spanish classes sponsored by the Archdiocese of New York to better serve the growing Spanish speaking population of the city. Her increasing proficiency in Spanish, and the influence of her instructors, led her to volunteer when CSA leadership invited sisters to consider being part of the congregation’s expanded missionary efforts in Latin America. In 1965, CSA leadership accepted Sister Marise’s volunteer request. She then began her journey as a devoted missionary who, for fifty-seven years (1965-2022,) spent her life “teaching, catechizing, and trying to sow the seed of faith” among the people she served in Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. She came back to the USA for brief periods during these years, yet she always returned immersing herself among the people she had come to love.
Supported by courses in intercultural studies and Spanish at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Sister Marise spent her first month as a missionary in Managua, Nicaragua. She was then assigned to teach 1st grade at the Cardinal Spellman Bilingual School for Boys, Quito, Ecuador (1966-1967). She returned to Nicaragua where she served most of her missionary years in parish communities and local universities along the Atlantic Coast, specifically in Rosita and Puerto Cabezas. She taught classes in English as a second language to elementary, high school, and university level students. She served as a catechist and pastoral presence in parishes and mission villages. She helped form a generation of catechists who continue to serve as Ministers of the Word especially in rural areas where priestly presence is minimal. From 1998 – 2001, Sister was an instructor in a special language program in La Ceiba, Honduras.
Sister Marise also served in leadership roles among her CSA sisters in Latin America including eight years as their regional coordinator and in the formation program for young women preparing for religious life. She was the contact person for Holy Family Parish, Fond du Lac, while they were a sister parish with Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Rosita, Nicaragua. She is beloved among the people for her joyful presence, her untiring dedication to ministry, and her respect for their culture and customs which formed a lasting bond between them that remains to this day.
In June of 2022, Sister Marise returned to Fond du Lac to receive care for her declining health at Nazareth Court & Center. She was subsequently admitted to St. Francis Home where she received loving care until the time of her death. The people of Nicaragua mourn her loss, together with her family and her CSA sisters.
Preceding Sister Marise in death were her parents and her sisters, Yvonne Rodriguez, Geraldine Henning, and Sister Mary Rose Meis, CSA.
Sister is survived by her sisters Katherine (Jeff) Plank, Christine Hadley; her brothers Father Peter Meis, OFM Cap, Michael Meis; her brother-in-law, Richard Henning; her nieces, nephews and their families, and the Sisters of St. Agnes with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
Cremation has taken place.
All services for Sister Marise will be held on Monday, July 14, 2025.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
A Prayer Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be offered at 2:00 p.m. in St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Bishop Paul Schmitz, OFM Cap., presiding.
Burial of cremains will follow in St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes and the Meis family are grateful to the nurses and staff of Nazareth Court and Center, St. Francis Home, and Hospice Hope for their devoted care of Sister Marise.
Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
