Obituaries
Read the most recent obituaries of our Sisters who have passed. Feel free to share a comment or memory or donate in her memory.
Remembering Margaret Ann Hardner, SSJ
The Funeral Mass can be viewed live by clicking here. Sister Margaret Ann Hardner, SSJ, age 95, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on Saturday, October 3rd in the 77th year of her religious life. She was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on April 9, 1931, the daughter of the late Norbert…
Remembering Maria Assumpta Ruza, SSJ
The Funeral Mass can be viewed live by clicking here. Maria Assumpta Ruza, SSJ, 89, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on August 31, 2026 in the 70th year of her religious life. She was born in Erie, PA, on August 24, 1937, the daughter of the late Stephen and Anna…
We remember . . . Sally Villa, SSJ
Sister Sally (Sarah) A. Villa, SSJ, age 81, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on November 17, 2025, in the 38th year of her religious life. She was born in Rochester, New York, on July 19, 1944, the daughter of the late Donald A. and Marion Kraft Gillette. She graduated from…
We remember . . . Bernadine Gehringer, SSJ
Bernadine Gehringer, SSJ, formerly Sister Mary Michael, 87, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on June 19, 2025, in the 70th year of her religious life. She was born on September 15, 1937, in Erie to the late Elmer and Agnes Gehringer. Sister Bernadine would recall how, even as a young…
We remember . . . Marilyn Zimmerman, SSJ
Marilyn Zimmerman, SSJ, 90, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on June 9, 2025, in the 72nd year of her religious life. She was born in Erie, PA, on May 17, 1935, the daughter of the late Louis F. and Bernice (McNulty) Zimmerman. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph from…
We remember . . . Mary Claire Kennedy, SSJ
Sister Mary Claire Kennedy, SSJ, 96, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on May 23, 2025, in the 75th year of her religious life. She was born in Erie, PA, on November 24, 1928, the daughter of the late Charles and Bernice (Graney) Kennedy. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph…
PHOTO AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE: (l-r) Eva Mastromatteo of Erie News Now interviews Stephanie Hall, SSJ Associate and Communications Director, and Nancy Fischer, SSJ, as part of a 5-part series during Catholic Sisters Week.
