Sister Nancy O’Brien, RSHM, previously known as Sister Eucharia, died Monday, Oct. 11. She was 99 years of age and had been a member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary for 81 years.
She was born Anne O’Brien in Co. Tipperary, Ireland, on August 2, 1902, to Denis and Margaret Keating O’Brien.
Following in the footsteps of her older sister, Nora (Sister Eucharia), Sister Nancy entered the congregation at the RSHM Novitiate in Tarrytown, New York, on October 5, 1938. She made her first vows on Aug. 28, 1940, in Tarrytown, where she also made her final vows on Aug. 26, 1945.
Sister Nancy began her long ministry to retreatants, school faculty and staff members, students, and her RSHM sisters at Cormaria Retreat House, Sag Harbor, N.Y. (1940-1966).
She worked at St. Pius X School, Rosedale, New York (1966-1967) and Marymount Secondary School, Tarrytown (1967-1968); in the school office at the Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Manhattan (1968-1974) and Sacred Heart of Mary High School, Bronx (1974-1978); and in the building and grounds office at Marymount College, Tarrytown (1978-1980).
Sister Nancy was the moderator of the boarding students at Marymount International School, London (1981-1985). She was a member of the staff at Marymount School, Richmond, VA (1985-1993); worked in the business office of Marymount Convent, Tarrytown, NY (1993-1997); and the school office at Marymount International School, Paris, France (1997-2001).
She rejoined the staff of Cormaria Retreat House in Sag Harbor and served there for 8 years (2001-2009). She retired to Marymount Convent, Tarrytown, in 2009 and was a member of the Convent Community at the time of her death.
Sister Nancy is survived by nieces and nephews in Ireland and the United States and by her RSHM family.
Her Mass of Christian burial was held at Marymount Convent, on Oct. 14 followed by burial at Mount Calvary Cemetery, White Plains, New York.
Sister Theresa Torsone, SSND, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, died on October 14, 2021, at The Watermark in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at the age of 80. She was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on April 1, 1940, the beloved daughter of John and Antoinette Torsone. She attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel elementary school where she was taught by the wonderful sisters who would become her community. After attending Mt. St. Mary’s High School in Newburgh, New York, she entered religious life in 1959.
After pronouncing her vows as an SSND in 1960 as Sister Johnette, she taught at St. Anthony School in Passaic, New Jersey. In 1980 Sister Theresa began over three decades at St. Matthias School, Ridgewood, New York. In her retirement, she resided at Villa Notre Dame in Wilton, Connecticut, until the community moved to The Watermark in August 2021.
Sister Theresa was a master teacher specializing in math. She had an enormous impact on hundreds of children and their families. She was pre-deceased by her parents, her brother Michael Torsone and her brother-in-law Robert Valentino.
Surviving family members include sisters Michele Valentino, Anita Freer, Johnna Torsone, brothers-in-law David Freer and John McKeon, and her many nieces and nephews to whom she was especially devoted and who love her dearly.
Sister was a lifelong fan of the NY Yankees and never missed listening to or watching their games. On her 50th anniversary as a School Sister of Notre Dame, she was honored by Derek Jeter and the Yankee organization on Sister Theresa Torsone Day at the stadium. Also special to her were the summer family gatherings at Galway Lake, New York, where she was dubbed by her grand nieces and nephews as The Leader of the Lake.
A wake was held at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Danbury Road, Wilton, on Oct. 22. A Mass of Christian burial was held on Oct. 23 followed by burial at St. Mary Cemetery, Bethel, Connecticut.
