A funeral for Sister Georgiann Wildhaber, SSND, was celebrated on Oct. 30 in the Theresa Center chapel at Sancta Maria in Ripa, St. Louis. Sister Georgiann Wildhaber, formerly Marie Gregory, died peacefully on Oct. 17 at Trinity Trace Community Care Center in Covington, Louisiana. She was 85.
The second child of Elizabeth (Stuesse) and George Wildhaber was born on Feb. 22, 1940, in Beaufort, Missouri. She was baptized on Feb. 25, 1940, at St. Joseph Church in Neier and named Georgiann Elizabeth. When she was 2 years old, the family moved to Sullivan, where her father was a rural mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. Georgiann delighted in going hunting and fishing with her father, but she also learned how to cook and care for the house from her mother. She was very close to her older brother, Ellroy. For a number of years, she was essentially an only child when her brother attended school in Pennsylvania.
Georgiann began elementary school at St. Anthony in Sullivan, staffed by the Dominican Sisters and then the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She attended St. Francis Borgia High School in Washington, which was also staffed by the SSND. She wanted to go to the aspiranture but her parents felt she should finish high school first.
She entered the candidature at Sancta Maria in Ripa on Aug. 29, 1957. She was received into the novitiate on July 29, 1958, and given the name Marie Gregory. She professed first vows on July 30, 1959, and final vows on July 30, 1965. She later returned to her baptismal name.
Sister Georgiann earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the former Notre Dame College in St. Louis in 1962 and a master’s degree in elementary administration from Saint Louis University in 1973.
Sister Georgiann taught for 10 years at St. Clare in St. Clair and St. Bernadette in St. Louis. She was a principal for 11 years at Sacred Heart in Lawrence, Nebraska; St. Bernadette in St. Louis; and St. Joseph in Manchester. She was principal and president at Notre Dame High School in St. Louis for 13 years.
While serving at Notre Dame High School, she played on the SSND softball team. The team competed in the St. Louis Senior Olympics in 2001 and 2002. For 10 years, she ministered in adult education as a program director at Maria Center for Lifelong Learning on the campus of Sancta Maria in Ripa. In 2005, she was appointed administrator and facilities operation director at St. Mary of the Pines in Chatawa, Mississippi. She arrived several days after Hurricane Katrina devastated many areas in the South. She worked to rebuild and upgrade the property.
After eight years at Chatawa and a period of ministry discernment, Sister Georgiann moved to Texas and became an educational consultant to the elementary school principals in the Diocese of Dallas and a driver for the SSND Office in Dallas. Beginning in 2014, she served as an educational resource person for Holy Family of Nazareth School and also for St. Philip and St. Augustine Academy. She was a volunteer at Notre Dame School of Dallas and St. Rita Parish in Dallas.
Sister Georgiann was missioned to St. Anthony’s Gardens in Covington, Louisiana, in June 2023. In August 2025, she was placed on hospice.
Reflecting on her varied experiences in ministry, she stated, “I have learned much from the laity…My interest is centered on community and family living, the total personal and spiritual growth of the individual.” Sister Georgiann was an outstanding educator and excellent community member. She cared deeply for her family members, her students and those with whom she ministered. She enjoyed fishing, playing softball, cooking, gardening and visiting with relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Elizabeth and George Wildhaber. She is survived by her brother, Ellroy, of Atlanta; nephew, nieces and their families; School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND associates.
Her cremains were buried in the Sancta Maria in Ripa cemetery.
