Sister Elizabeth Irene Gill, OP, formerly Sister John Capistran, passed away on March 12. She served as a Sister of St. Dominic for 74 years. She was 93 years old.
She was born on Aug. 28, 1932, to John and Johanna Farrell Gill.
Sister Elizabeth and her three brothers, William (Msgr. William Gill), John (Brother Edwin, OSF), and Raymond (Brother Austin Gill, OSF), were raised in Marine Park, across the street from Good Shepherd Convent.
In 1951, a year after graduating from high school, Liz entered the Novitiate at Amityville. She was clothed in the Dominican habit on Aug. 4, 1952, and received her religious name, Sister John Capistran. She pronounced her first vows on Aug. 7, 1953, and her final vows on Aug. 7, 1956.
Sister Elizabeth received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Library Science at St. John’s University, Jamaica.
Her early ministries were in elementary education at Presentation School (Jamaica), St. Elizabeth School (Ozone Park), and St. Aloysius School (Ridgewood). She was librarian at Dominican Commercial High School (Jamaica).
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by her brother, Msgr. William Gill, on March 16, followed by interment at St. Dominic Cemetery on the Motherhouse grounds.
Sister Jeanne Puff, known in religious life as Sister Mary Sharon, passed on March 5. She was 96.
Born to Ellsworth Puff and Mary Rodden Puff, she and her brother John were raised in St. Albans. Their home parish was St. Catherine of Siena.
Sister Mary entered the Dominican Novitiate in Amityville in 1948 and received the habit and her name, Mary Sharon, in 1949 as part of the set of the Bleeding Hearts, and made her final vows in 1953.
She began her education ministry at St. Fidelis Elementary School (College Point) and later moved to St. Agnes High School (College Point).
Sister Mary then served as an associate professor in the Department of Education at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York. Later in life, she served as the principal of Good Shepherd School in Marine Park.
Sister Mary’s funeral Mass was celebrated on March 11 at St. Albert’s Chapel in Amityville. Interment followed at St. Dominic Cemetery on the Motherhouse grounds.
Sister Mary Eugenia Daley passed away on Feb. 12. She was a Sister of St. Joseph for 69 years.
Sister Eugenia, her sister Margaret, and her brothers Hugh and Tom grew up in Flushing. She attended St. Kevin’s school and graduated from Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School in 1957. In September of that same year, Kathleen entered the Sisters of St. Joseph.
She then earned her RN from St. John’s Queens Hospital School of Nursing and a master’s degree in nursing education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
For the next 20 years, Sister Eugenia served as nursing instructor, director of nursing, head nurse, and school nurse at St. John’s School of Nursing, Catholic Medical Center, Bishop Kearney Diocesan High School, Maria Regina Residence, and St. Joseph’s Hospital.
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on Feb. 19, followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery on the Brentwood campus.
Sister Margaret Dempsey, RSM, died on Jan. 29. A Sister of Mercy for 59 years, ”Margee” as she was affectionately known, was 79.
She lived Catherine McAuley’s legacy of service, unity, and mercy until God called her home.
Sister Margaret shared her talents and her leadership skills with many ministries, some of which were teacher, principal, and president of Catherine McAuley High School, a member of the Catholic High School Principals Association of Brooklyn and Queens, a member of the leadership team of the Brooklyn Regional Sisters of Mercy, and a former vocation director for the Sisters of Mercy.
A funeral Mass was celebrated on Feb. 4 at Holy Trinity Church in Whitestone. Burial followed at Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn.