A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Joan (Joan Dorothy) Kuester, DC, was celebrated July 21 at Seton Residence Chapel in Evansville, Indiana. Sister Joan died July 11 at Seton Residence. She was 86.
She was born on March 3, 1940, in St. Louis, one of two children of August Henry and Albertina Philomena (Schenk) Kuester. She graduated from Labouré High School and DePaul Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis (1961) and entered the Daughters of Charity in 1965. She also received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marillac College (1970), a master’s degree in hospital administration from Saint Louis University (1975) and a master of pastoral studies degree from Loyola University in New Orleans (1996).
After initial formation, Sister Joan served as an ICU staff nurse at St. Mary Medical Center in Evansville and in nursing service-orthopedics and director of nursing service at St. Joseph Hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri. She also had a hospital administrator residency at St. Mary Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. She then served as assistant administrator at Hotel Dieu in New Orleans, St. Vincent Hospital in St. Louis and DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton (1977-1981), after which she was assigned to be provincial treasurer for the Daughters of Charity at Marillac Provincialate in St. Louis (1981-1987).
Sister Joan then served as senior vice president at Holy Cross Hospital in Austin, Texas, and as operations vice president at Seton Medical Center Fund in Austin until 1991. She served as a development assistant at Marillac Provincialate in St. Louis, assistant vice president at DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton (1991-92), and as Governance Board chair from 1992 to 1996. She also served as executive director regional foundation at DCNHS-WC in St. Louis (1996-98). Sister Joan served for many years as the executive director of DC Foundation in Clayton (1998-2006) and St. Louis (2006-2019). She served as the executive director of Marillac Mission Fund in St. Louis and resided at Parkwood Residence in Maryland Heights (2019-2024) until she was missioned to Seton Residence in Evansville to serve in the ministry of prayer, where she remained until her death.
Sister Joan was preceded in death by her parents, and she is survived by her sister, Annette Marie Kopp, other loving family members, her Sisters in community and many friends.
Burial was in St. Joseph Cemetery in Evansville.
