Sister Mary Bonaventure Mackey, R.S.M., a member of the Sisters of Mercy, Mid-Atlantic Community for 79 years died on April 15, at Maria Regina Residence in Brentwood. She was 96.

Born Elizabeth Mackey in Brooklyn, she attended St. Mary Star of the Sea School and Bay Ridge HS.

She began her ministry in Education in St. Agatha, Sunset Park (1943-46); St. Gregory, Crown Heights (1946-49); St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands (1949-56); and Our Lady of Refuge, Midwood (1969-70).

Sister Mary ministered in Panama, Central America, as a teacher for four years, and school principal at St. Mary’s in Balboa for six years, and as a pastoral minister for over 20 years.

Working with women in the impoverished interior of Panama known for its high incidence of alcohol and drug addiction, Sister Bonaventure helped to deepen their faith, enhance their economic development, and improve the quality of their lives.

Her burial was in St. Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale.