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Sister Joan Mary Schaefer
Sister Joan Mary Schaefer passed away on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. She was 95-years-old and had been a Sister of Providence for 76 years.
Funeral services for Sister Joan Mary will take place on Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
A Wake will take place from 2:30-4:30 p.m., on Friday, March 28. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11 a.m., on Saturday, March 29.
Memorial contributions may be made in honor of Sister Joan Mary to the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
We welcome you to share your memories of Sister Joan Mary in the comment section below.
Sister Joan Mary Schaefer
Complete Ministry
In Massachusetts: Teacher, St. Patrick, Stoneham (1951).
In Indiana: Teacher, St. Ann, New Castle (1951-53); Teacher, St. John the Baptist, Fort Wayne (1953-54); Teacher, St. Mary, Richmond (1954-55); Teacher, St. John, Indianapolis (1956-59); Teacher, St. Mary, Lafayette (1960-65); Teacher/Principal, All Saints, Hammond (1965-66); Teacher, St. Joseph, Hammond (1966-67); Teacher, St. Peter, Linton (967-68); Residential Services, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (2017-2025).
In Illinois: Teacher, St. Genevieve, Chicago (1959-60); Teacher, Our Lady of Sorrows, Chicago (1968-69); Principal, Immaculate Conception, Chicago (1975-89); Teacher, St. Francis Borgia School, Chicago (1990-92); Teacher, Providence-St. Mel School, Chicago (1992-98); Substitute Teacher, Chicago area (1998-2008); Substitute Teacher/Home School Teacher, Chicago area (2008-2015); Substitute Teacher, Providence-St. Mel, Chicago (2015-16); Substitute Teacher, Guerin College Preparatory High School, River Grove (2015-17); Convent Service, River Grove (2015-17).
In Missouri: Principal, Our Lady of Providence, St. Louis (1969-75).
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Sister Joan Mary you will be greatly missed, thank you for always having an eye out for me when I was young child. You were an amazing strong leader. May you rest in eternal peace.
Sister Joan Mary. My years at Immaculate Conception Chicago will always have you in my memories. I learned many a poems from you and the silly choices I made!!
I was a student of Sister Joan Mary’s in fifth grade and again in seventh and eighth grade when she was at St. Mary’s in Lafayette, Indiana. She taught with a positive and loving attitude and was well-liked by her students. At the end of our sixth-grade year, we learned that she would be our teacher in seventh and eighth grades along with another sister. We cheered because we loved her so much. Fifty years after we graduated from eighth grade, several classmates arranged for Sister Joan Mary to come to a reunion. It was a joy and a blessing to see her again.
I became a teacher partially because of her influence. I always worked to make learning fun and to care for my students as she did.