Obituaries
For family and friends unable to attend in-person funeral celebrations, FSPA offers live streaming. For anyone unable to join the live stream, a recording of the sister's funeral will be added to their obituary below.
Sister Patricia Gordon
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Sister Patricia Gordon, 94, died on July 11, 2025, at St. Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She was in the seventy-fourth year of her religious profession.
Patricia Lou Gordon was born to Vincent and Grace (Hartigan) Gordon on Sept. 9, 1930 in Spokane, Washington. She was the eldest of three children. Her father worked in banking, insurance and real estate in Spokane; her mother was a homemaker and later worked in a business setting. She and her sister, Luan, and brother, Jerry, spent many summers on their aunt and uncle’s farm. Patricia attended St. Anthony Grade School and Marycliff High School, both in Spokane. That is where she met the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. In 1943, her brother left for the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and around that time, her own vocational call began to surface. In August 1948, Patricia boarded a train with four companions for the two-day/two-night trip from Spokane to St. Rose Convent. She was received into the novitiate in August 1949 and given the name Sister Sheila Marie. She later went back to her baptismal name, Patricia. On Aug. 12, 1951, she made her first vows as a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration.
Sister Patricia’s FSPA ministry years were spent in the field of education. She began as a second-grade teacher in Edgar, Wisconsin, from 1951 to 1953. From 1953 to 1956, she taught grades five and six in St. Joseph Ridge, Wisconsin. In 1957, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in French from Viterbo College in La Crosse and in 1965, she was awarded a Master of Arts in English from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She then taught at Marycliff High School in Spokane from 1957 to 1964. From 1964 to 1967, she taught at Serra Catholic High School in Salem, Oregon. During the summers, she taught English at Viterbo College. In 1967, Sister Patricia returned to Marycliff High School as a teacher and vice-principal. Sister Patricia was elected to the newly formed Western province board of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and also assumed the role of formation director. In 1974, again back at Marycliff High School, she was appointed principal, a position she held until the school closed in 1979.
Sister Patricia’s passion for learning and her willingness to serve in diverse ministries led her to other opportunities to serve. She returned to Gonzaga University, where she earned another Master of Arts, this time in spirituality, in 1981. Sister Patricia was director of religious education and adult education at St. Xavier Parish in Spokane from 1981 to 1983. In 1983, she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to be the director of religious education until 1986. For one year, she served as director of catechetical ministry in Oceanside, California, and then two years in Long Beach, California. She then moved to Huntington Beach, California, where she was director of the RCIA program from 1990 to 1993. At that time, she was elected regional leader for the Western region of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Spokane, a position she held until 1998. After a sabbatical in 1999, she became the director of Clare Franciscan Spirituality Center in Spokane until it closed. She presented retreats, provided spiritual direction and served as the spiritual assistant to the Secular Franciscans in Spokane. In 2016, she moved to St. Rose Convent where she especially enjoyed her ministry of prayer in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel.
Community members, family and friends remember Sister Patricia for her keen mind and broad interest in all aspects of life. She was a faithful Gonzaga University alumna, often gathering anyone she could to watch the “Zags” when they played basketball on TV. Sister Patricia was an avid reader and English teacher through and through. She was frequently called upon to edit or critique written communications from the congregation. She loved to travel and often talked about her travels as regional leader to Hawaii, Guam, El Salvador, Zimbabwe and Italy. Her gentle smile welcomed everyone.
Sister Shirley Wagner
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Sister Shirley Wagner, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, 95, died on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at St. Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She was in the seventy-fourth year of her religious profession.
Shirley Ann Wagner was born at home in Halder, Wisconsin, to Edward and Celia (Michels) Wagner on Feb. 23, 1930. She attended a rural public school in the area for her first five years, until her family moved to Marathon, Wisconsin, where she attended St. Mary’s School. She started playing in the public high school band in seventh grade. She then moved back into the public school for a year before entering St. Rose High School in 1945. Shirley was received into the novitiate on Aug. 12, 1948, and was given the name Sister Theodosia. She later returned to her baptismal name. She made her first profession of vows on Aug. 12, 1950, and final profession on Aug. 9, 1956.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in music education from Viterbo College and a master’s degree in music education from the University of Colorado (with a minor in guidance and counseling), Sister Shirley served as a music teacher in elementary schools in Wisconsin (Wausau and La Crosse) and Iowa (Bellevue) for six years before moving to the high school level. She taught at Aquinas (La Crosse), Kuemper (Carroll, Iowa), Cathedral and Superior Public (Superior, Wisconsin), Newman (Wausau, Wisconsin), Marquette (Bellevue, Wisconsin), St. Mary’s (Guttenberg, Iowa) and finally three years at Mt. Scenario College in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. For 30 years, she taught and conducted high school, college and community symphonies. She even conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra when the conductor, her former instructor, was away. After retiring from a life of conducting music, Sister Shirley began a second career as a pastoral minister in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota and Amery, Wisconsin, before moving to Medford, Wisconsin. She served as Pastoral Associate at Holy Rosary Parish in Medford for 11 years. In 1999, Sister Shirley retired in Medford and became deeply involved in intarsia woodworking. She moved to St. Rose Convent in 2022.
A La Crosse Tribune article, written by Mike Tighe in 2019, documents Sister Shirley's artistic awakening: "Sister Shirley began woodworking after she was inspired by a photo in a craft magazine of an intarsia wolf. She saw the photo and thought, ‘I can do that!’ Not long after inspiration struck, Sister Shirley purchased a $1,200 Hegner saw and taught herself the centuries-old woodcraft of intarsia. Intarsia is a technique that gained popularity in the 12th century and is a form of wood inlaying to create a mosaic-like picture with an illusion of depth. Sister Shirley uses a variety of natural woods from forests around the world to create these unique pieces."
Sister Shirley is remembered by family, community members and friends as a person who cared deeply for others, yet didn’t mince words when she had something to say. She loved life and did all she could to live it to the fullest. She encouraged others to do the same through her prayer and invited them to join her in whatever activity she decided to tackle. Sister Shirley will be remembered for her beautiful intarsia work. She produced more than 700 commissioned works, displayed in five countries, which range in size from a 20-foot rendition of the "Last Supper" to minuscule dollhouse accessories.
Sister Mary Ann Gaul
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Sister Mary Ann Gaul, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, 93, died on Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2025, at St. Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She was in the seventy-second year of her religious profession.
Mary Ann Gaul was born in Luxemburg, Iowa, on Dec. 4, 1931, to Joseph L. and Eleanora (Maiers) Gaul. Mary Ann grew up with her two brothers and three sisters on the family farm. She attended elementary school at Holy Trinity School in Luxemburg and high school at St. Boniface School in New Vienna, Iowa, both staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Mary Ann entered St. Rose Convent after high school. She was received into the novitiate in 1950 and given the name Sister Camilla. She later went back to her baptismal name. Sister Mary Ann made her first profession of vows as a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration on Aug. 12, 1952.
Sister Mary Ann began her ministry in FSPA as a homemaker at community homes in Wisconsin (Rozellville, La Crosse, Loyal, Marathon and Superior) and Iowa (Festina, Mt. Carmel, Spencer and Carroll). In 1975, she moved to housekeeping at Viterbo College. After a month in that position, she was asked to take an administrative role in the copy center at the college. In 1981, Sister Mary Ann moved into the business world, first in Bloomington, Minnesota, then in Inver Grove, Minnesota. After several business courses, certifications and degrees, Sister Mary Ann began working for Xerox as a graphic artist and product coordinator. Before leaving Xerox in 1991, she served as shift lead, supervisor and training administrator.
From 1991 to 1997, Sister Mary Ann was called on to use her administrative skills as assistant business and plant manager at St. Rose Convent. After a short sabbatical, Sister Mary Ann moved back to the Twin Cities for three years to serve as seamstress and marketing supervisor for Sew What and Retirement Enterprises, as the assistant manager for a 69-unit apartment complex and as a freelance seamstress. From 2000 to 2018, Sister Mary Ann volunteered her skills as a seamstress and plant manager at Villa St. Joseph in La Crosse. During that time, Sister Mary Ann was also responsible for the FSPA cottage at Lake Neshonoc in West Salem, Wisconsin. In 2018, she officially retired at Villa St. Joseph but was often called upon for her managerial expertise. Sister Mary Ann moved to St. Rose Convent in 2023.
Family, friends and community members remember Sister Mary Ann as very knowledgeable—from fixing furnaces, reading blueprints, sewing, managing buildings and operating copy machines and presses. She even got her bus driver’s license to help transport school students. She was detail-oriented and organized, which, at times, was a challenge for her when others were not. One never had to second-guess what Sister Mary Ann’s thoughts were, as she said it like it was! When St. Rose Convent was set for renovation at the turn of the century, she organized a major auction sale in the convent yard to clear the attic. Sister Mary Ann was also compassionate and kind, as noted in the many ways she assisted others and lent a listening ear. Her laughter could be heard for miles over a good joke or something she found humorous.
Sister Nancy Lafferty
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Nancy graduated from St. Joseph Grade School in Carroll in 1949. She then attended St. Angela Academy where she graduated in 1953. Then, Nancy attended Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wisconsin. During her junior year of college, she decided to join the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and entered St. Rose Convent in La Crosse. She was received into the novitiate and given the name Sister Cathrina. She later went back to her baptismal name. On Aug. 12, 1958 she made her first profession of vows.
Sister Nancy excelled in academics, both as a student and a professional. She graduated from Viterbo College with a BA in sociology and minors in history and English. She then went on to the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where she earned a master's degree in sociology. A few years later, Sister Nancy went to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri where she earned another master's degree, this one in social work. That was quickly followed by a PhD from Washington University in interdisciplinary studies: social work, sociology and education.
Sister Nancy started her teaching career in secondary schools in La Crosse (Aquinas), New Vienna, Iowa (St. Boniface) and Carroll, Iowa (Kuemper). For 25 years, “Dr. Lafferty,” as she was known by her college and university students, taught at Viterbo University, Washington University, University of St. Louis, St. Ambrose University, Morningside College, Briarcliff College, Western Iowa Tech Community College and Wayne State College. For one year, she served as principal at Holy Child Jesus School in Canton, Mississippi. From 1995 to 2001, Sister Nancy served as the director of the ESL Bilingual Education program at Cathedral Parish in Sioux City. She then served as director for the Dorothy Day Retreat Center in Sioux City until 2006. At that time, she moved to La Crosse where she volunteered in various ministries at the Franciscan Spirituality Center until 2015 when she retired to St. Rose Convent.
Community members, friends, family and colleagues remember Sister Nancy as someone continuously interested in helping others. There was always a twinkle in her eye. Quiet in her demeanor, she had a wide array of peace and justice interests. She had a special place in her heart for the Vietnamese and Hispanic communities, especially in Sioux City. Sister Nancy was arrested several times for protesting against the Vietnam War and U.S. military spending. Two of her arrests were for praying the Prayer of St. Francis at the Rock Island Arsenal in Rock Island, Illinois and at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. Sister Nancy also participated in several educational mission trips teaching in Taiwan, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, Tanzania, Mexico and Nicaragua.
Sister Fran Morrissey
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When there were nine children, her father bought them all uniforms, including the baby, since they had enough for a baseball team. Growing up in a large Catholic family, the rosary and Mass were important daily rituals. Fran remembered getting a penny each week for being good and helping with chores. She and her siblings would pool their money together to buy their parents Christmas presents.
Fran entered the novitiate of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in 1957 and was given the name Sister Mary Malachy. She later went back to her baptismal name. She made her first profession of vows on Aug. 12, 1959. Sister Fran’s early ministry centered on serving the community of sisters where she lived as a homemaker. She ministered in various convents in Iowa (Spencer, West Bend, Carroll, Cedar Rapids, Milford) and Wisconsin (Stanley, Menomonie, Marathon) for 25 years. During that time, she occasionally taught music and served as the school librarian.
From 1985 to1987, she attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and participated in Credo, a spiritual renewal program. Sister Fran returned to the Midwest and ministered as a seamstress and driver at Villa St. Joseph in La Crosse, a position she held for 25 years. In 2012, she retired to St. Rose Convent where she continued to volunteer, using her sewing skills and praying. She moved back to Villa St. Joseph in 2019 when her health began to fail. In 2022, she returned to St. Rose Convent.
Community members, family and friends, remember Sister Fran as always happy and ready with a good story. Her smile was as big as her heart. She could be counted on to help with any project, regardless of its magnitude. As a practical joker, she was constantly pulling tricks on someone. She loved a good party and participating in any craft project or activity while she was able. And her exquisite sewing kept the gift shops at Villa St. Joseph and St. Rose Convent well-supplied with lovely items.