A wake and memorial service for St. Louis native Sister Mary Louise Denny, SL, will be celebrated Aug. 29 at the Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx, Kentucky. Sister Mary Louise died July 22 while being transported from University Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, to the motherhouse. She was 80 years old and in the 62nd year of her Loretto commitment.
Born March 8, 1946, in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California, she was the third of eight children of Anna Mae (Boning) and William M. Denny. Fondly called “Squeezie” by her brothers, Mary Louise grew up in Richmond Heights, attended St. Luke Elementary School and graduated from Nerinx Hall in 1964. She was received into the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross on May 31, 1965. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theology in 1969 from Webster College and an R.N. from DePaul Hospital’s nursing program in 1975.
In St. Louis, Sister Mary Louise taught at the “Rock” Community Middle School (1969-70) and New City School (1970-72), then served as a nurse at City Hospital (1975-76). She was part of Loretto’s Social Change Team: Women (1976-81), taught at Jewish Employment Vocational Services (1981-82) and served on the Loretto Central Staff/Program Staff (1982-2001). During these years, she helped create the St. Louis Abused Women’s Support Project Inc., advancing community efforts to confront domestic violence, and helped secure funding for the motherhouse garden honoring those who died of AIDS. From 2002 to 2023, she served as an on-call health care advocate for the St. Louis Loretto Community.
Sister Mary Louise also worked closely with Loretto Sister Susan Carol McDonald, supporting her work with Vietnamese war adoptees and their families through reunions and Vietnam motherland tours. She served on the initial board of Marian Middle School, the Intercommunity Housing Association Board and was a longtime Nerinx Hall board member.
Moving to the motherhouse in 2023, she continued to support the Loretto community until her death. She celebrated her 60th jubilee in 2025, describing her ministry as a “spiral — working, learning, creating and learning again.” She traced that spiral from teaching, to nursing, to community organizing, always integrating Loretto values into her work. She often said the greatest lesson of her life was friendship: “We are Friends of Mary … this gift is perhaps the most important of all.” She added, “I am grateful to Loretto for encouraging me and supporting me in this creative adventure for the last 60 years.”
Sister Mary Louise was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Joseph H. Denny, Richard H. Denny and Thomas F. Denny. She is survived by her sister, Jane S. Sanders of Webster Groves, and three brothers, Michael Denny of Chiang Mai, Thailand; Ryan Denny of O’Fallon, Illinois; and Ramon Denny of Glendale, Arizona; and numerous nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews. She donated her body to the University of Louisville.
