Weis, Jeanenne Sister 1931 - 2020
WEIS, MURPHY, ALVRADO, MARTINDALE
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 5/19/2024 at 21:00:44
Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day... nonetheless our family suffered a great loss when Sr. Jeanenne Weis (A/K/A Sr. Mary Paula Jean) passed into the next life on May 13, 2020. She was six days shy of her 89th birthday. A full life lived with great zest indeed.
Jeanenne was born in Dubuque, Iowa, May 19, 1931, the second of 10 children. The family moved to Decorah in 1933 and started what is now Weis Buick run by the third generation of Weis’s. She attended St. Benedict’s grade school and Decorah High School where she was a cheerleader and a class attendant for homecomings. She attended three years at Clarke College in Dubuque and graduated from Holy Names College in Oakland, Calif., with a double major in math and English. She entered the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary on July 24, 1953; and she was a faithful member for almost 67 years. She taught math, English and religion for 17 years mostly in the San Francisco area. She taught for 11 years at Marin Catholic in Kentfield where she was Dean of Girls during her last two years there.
In 1972 she started a new path and became a “Parish Sister”, later getting her Doctor of Ministry from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. Her title was then changed to Pastoral Associate. She served St Andrews, in Daly City for 10 years, St. Paul’s San Francisco for seven years, St. Pius in Redwood City, Calif., and Holy Angels, Colma until she retired. In retirement she spent years tutoring students at Holy Names University and various jobs where help was needed.
At age 55 she decided to do two new things every year to fight the aging process.
She walked about two miles with her friend Rosemary twice a week. She enjoyed swimming, walking, biking, playing bridge, crossword puzzles and sports. She and two good friends, Shirley and Inez, did the 26 Stairway Walks in San Francisco per the book by the same name - each walk taking 2-3 hours. She walked the Bay to Breakers Race, the Golden Gate Bridge and many other fun events. She was an avid fan of Dr. Dean Edell and his book, “Eat Drink & Be Merry”. She loved Herb Caen’s column, was an avid 49ers fan and enjoyed watching baseball, especially the Giants.
She was a great communicator and always stayed connected with her yearly Christmas letter but people always came first. She loved babies, children and celebrations and missed few; and always was ready to meet you for lunch or dinner. She had a wonderful sense of humor and was fun and uplifting to be with. She left an endearing impression on everyone she met. She will be greatly missed by many.
Her life in summary is “One Life Lived, Many Lives Touched!”
A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at a future date. She will be buried at St. Benedict’s Cemetery, Decorah.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Al and Pauline Weis; her brothers: Thomas Weis, Richard (Tip) Weis and David Weis and a sister, Sandy Weis, all from Decorah; and by her sister-in-law, Vernelle (Mrs. Tip) Weis.
Survivors include her siblings: Shirley (Peach) and Cyril (Murf) Murphy of Minneapolis, Minn., James (Caroline) Weis of Decorah, Joseph (Pat) Weis of Decorah, Betty/Liz (Gabe) Alvarado of Lake Wildwood, Calif., and JoAnn (Tom) Martindale, Santa Cruz, Calif.; her sister-in-law, Lorraine (Mrs. Tom) Weis of Decorah; and almost 100 of the next three generations.
If you wish to make a donation in her name, make check payable to: Villa Maria Del Mar, 2-1918 E. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (a retreat center for all denominations administered by the Holy Name Sisters) or to St. Benedicts Catholic School, 402 Rural Ave., Decorah, IA, 52101.
Source: Decorah Newspapers May 27, 2020
St. Benedict Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Jeff Getchell.
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