Sister Jane Lewis, SNJM
(Sister M. Gertrude Theresa)
January 30, 1926 – July 29, 2019
Sister Margaret Jane Lewis, SNJM departed this life on July 29, 2019 at Marie Rose Center, Mary's Woods at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Sister Jane celebrated 93 years of life and 74 years of her religious profession.
Mass of Ressurection was celebrated on Wednesday, August 14, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. at Chapel of the Holy Names, Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Burial took place following the funeral at Holy Names Cemetery, Marylhurst, Oregon.
Sister Jane's funeral can be viewed here.
"A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself."
M. Gertrude Theresa
Sister Jane Lewis, age 93, died at Marie-Rose Center at Mary's Woods in Lake Oswego, Oregon, July 29, 2019. A member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary for 74 years, her funeral will be held at 11 a.m., August 14, 2019, in the Chapel of the Holy Names, Marylhurst, Oregon. Burial follows in Holy Names Cemetery, Marylhurst.
Born Margaret Jane, Sister Jane was the daughter of Cliff and Edna Ryan Lewis growing up in California. She joined the Holy Names Sisters there in 1943, eventually received the religious name Sister M. Gertrude Theresa and made first profession of vows in 1945.
Her ministry career was spent in Holy Names and/or Catholic elementary schools in Altadena, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Alhambra, Los Gatos, Los Angeles, and Pasadena as a teacher and in Glendale and Burbank as a principal. During this time she completed a B.A. in Education and English and a Master of Education from Mt. St. Mary's College, Los Angeles. From 1973-80 she worked for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Education as Elementary Education Supervisor.
Upon retiring she volunteered in educational settings, including Puente Learning Center, Los Angeles, and St. Andrew's Grade School, Pasadena. In 2008, at the invitation of a close friend and former student, Sister Jane moved to Portland, Oregon. Most recently she was a member of the Sisters' retirement community at Mary's Woods at Marylhurst.
In a tribute to Sister Jane on the occasion of her 50th Jubilee as a Holy Names Sister, it was written of her that she was "educator par-excellence, sensitive woman, listener to and gentle reassurer of the young, woman of prayer, resourceful, gracious provider of a place of beauty and peace for all of us." She is remembered by teachers she worked with as a supportive mentor, by children she taught as a caring and encouraging teacher and by their parents as a committed educator and listener. She is also remembered for her wonderful sense of humor, one person recalling that she could be "a tease but a 'great lady' – always kind and thoughtful."
Sister Jane is survived by her sisters, Helen Nickerson (Tujunga, California) and Myra Wilson (Soldotna, Alaska), her nieces and nephew, and the members of her religious community. Remembrances may be made to Sisters of the Holy Names, P.O. Box 398, Marylhurst, OR 97036 or online at www.snjmusontario.org/donate.
Sister Jane Lewis Funeral Mass from SNJM U.S.-Ontario Province on Vimeo.