Sister Sarah Anne, CSM
1924-2002

Sister Sarah Anne, a member of the Western Province of SCM, died very suddenly on December 16, 2002, at St. John’s Home in Milwaukee. She was 78 and had been suffering from a number of serious health problems; the immediate cause of death was an unexpected heart attack.

Sister Sarah Anne’s life was involved with the Community from the very beginning. Her father, the Rev. Francis Ilsley, was chaplain at St. Mary’s School, Peekskill, before she was born. Although he died when she was a baby, she entered St. Mary’s School at the age of six, remained through the elementary grades, and was confirmed there. Later, after graduating from high school and Hunter College, she became an Associate and often volunteered at St. Mary’s-in-the-Field and the House of the Redeemer. During these years she was also working as a secretary and caring for an infirm mother.

After her mother and grandmother died, she entered the Eastern Province novitiate and was professed in 1965. For several years she served as biology teacher and corridor Sister at St. Mary’s School. An avid gardener, she made the school grounds as lovely as they have ever been. She also kept her lifesaving certificate current, and was known for being ready to open the pool for schoolgirls on weekends, or for Associates during retreats. Later Sister worked at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, and then in 1975 moved to the Western Province. At the Milwaukee convent her gifts as a gardener, cook, and seamstress came into their own; she also directed the Christian Education program at All Saints’ Cathedral and worked with the local Audubon Society.

Although in recent years arthritis and other problems severely limited her activities, she remained keenly interested in everything. Friends of many CSM houses will long remember her outgoing enthusiasm, lively interests, and willingness to be of service.