Cassidy, Mary Francesca Sister 1866-1931

CASSIDY

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/29/2011 at 14:46:41

From the Hawarden Independent of Jan 8, 1931
Killed in Fall Down Stairway. Met Death Last Friday. Was descending stairs at St. Mary's School when accident occurred.
Sister Mary Francesca Cassidy of St. Mary's school of Hawarden was fatally injured last Friday morning in a fall as she was going down the stairs leading to the chapel in the school building to say morning prayer. The other
Sisters of the school had preceded her and had just entered the chapel when they heard Sister Francesca strike the floor after falling three or four steps. In the fall she suffered a fractured skull and she lived only about half an hour after, the injury without regaining consciousness, passing away at 7 o'clock. It is not known just she fell but a short distance and the fall was not broken. When found she lay with her head on the cement floor her feet on the bottom step.
Services were held at St. Mary's church at 10 o'clock Monday morning with solemn high mass. Rev. Fr. C P Conway of Hawarden was the celebrant; Rev. Fr. Jos. Roder of Akron was deacon; Rev. Fr. A. J. Foerster of Rock Valley was sub-deacon; Rev. Fr.Schultes of LeMars was master of ceremonies and Mgr. W. A. Pape of
LeMars delivered the sermon. The high school choir of St. Joseph's'church in LeMars sang. The funeral was largely attended by friends and Sisters, who had worked with the deceased at other places. Burial was made in the Catholic
cemetery in this city. Sister Mary Francesca Cassidy was born at Lansing, Iowa, in 1866, so had attained the age of 64-years. She took her training at Clinton, Iowa, and had a member of St: Francis for 38 years. She came to Hawarden last September but she had also been connected with St Mary's school here some 16 or 20 years ago. During her life that she gave to her church she had been connected with schools at Rock Valley, Akron, Hawarden, Perry Denison and Clinton. She is survived by one brother, T.- J. Cassidy, who resides in Wisconsin.
Out of town relatives who attended the funeral were Mr. Kelleher of Lansing, Iowa, a brother-in-law, and Mr. and Mrs. Bohrer of Perry, Iowa, nephew and niece. Other out of town people who came for the funeral included Mgr. W. A. Pape and Rev. Fr. F. X. Schultes of LeMars; Rev. Fr.
Jos. Roder of Akron; Rev. Fr. J. B. Greteman of Struble; Rev. Fr. A. J. Foerster of Rock Valley; Rev. Fr. M. A. Schemel of Alton; Rev. Fr. M
Bradley of Carroll; Rev. Fr. A. J. Lynott of Vail, Iowa; Sisters from Clinton, Akron, Denison, Rock Valley and Varina, Iowa.