KULA o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-11-18 published
Teaching nun loved by students and colleagues
By Tyler KULA,
Special To
Sun
Media, Sun., November 18, 2007
Sister
Mary
Margaret
FINN didn't have many other choices when
she decided to become a nun and a teacher.
It was early in the Second World War, a time when careers for
women were uncommon.
"Back in that day, in 1940, women only had three options: they
could get married, they could become a nurse or they could become
a teacher," said
FINN's niece, Mary Grace Finn
DEWEESE.
"She probably wasn't inclined to the sciences, so she decided
she'd go into teaching."
It turned out that London-born
FINN loved teaching and, in turn,
was loved by her students and colleagues.
"She was just a delight," said Sister Anne
ANTAYA, who knew
FINN
through the Sisters of Saint_Joseph in London.
"The kids loved her and she really worked hard."
FINN, who taught school in Southwestern Ontario and Alberta,
died November 3 in London at the home for the Catholic religious
order to which she gave 67 years of her life.
She was 87.
One of five children born into a Catholic family in 1920,
FINN
and two older brothers all entered religious life, service virtually
unheard of today.
FINN's nephew, Peter
DANDENEAU, remembers his aunt fondly.
"It was like still having a mother alive as long as she was alive,"
said DANDENEAU.
"With her death, it's the last of the London
FINNs.
It's the
end of an era," he said.
Nicknamed "
Bunny" by the other sisters,
FINN entered the convent
at 20 while finishing an education degree in Alberta.
During her career, she taught Grades 1 and 2 and specialized
in reading.
FINN had a talent for making lessons fun, said Antaya.
"For the little people who found reading very difficult, she
was able to help them."
"She must have taught children for about 50 years," said Finn
DEWEESE.
After FINN retired from teaching, she volunteered as a tutor
at Blessed Kateri and Saint Michael's elementary schools in London.
Her impact resonated with teachers, said Antaya.
"Even the other night, some of those teachers came back and were
present at her wake service," she said.
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KULBABA o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-09 published
LASZLO,
Jessica
Peacefully at home, on Saturday, January 6, 2007, Jessica
LASZLO
of London in her 2nd year. Cherished daughter of Dawn M.
FITZGERALD
and Zsolt S.
LASZLO. Dear sister of Robert H.
FITZGERALD.
Much
loved granddaughter of Mary E. and Norris M.
FITZGERALD and MiHaLyne
LASZLO.
Beloved niece of Aunt Amber D.
FITZGERALD and god daughter
of Uncle Robert and Aunt Ildiko
RACZ.
Special thank you to the
Victorian
Order of Nurses, in particular Ellie
KULBABA who was
"our rock" through everything. A memorial service will be conducted
on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 3: 00 p.m. at the Westview
Funeral Chapel, 709 Wonderland Road North, with visitation one
hour prior to the service. Cremation, Mount Pleasant Crematorium.
Those wishing to make a donation in memory of Jessica are asked
to consider the Ronald McDonald House.
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