A funeral Mass for Sister Rose Marie Boyanchek, CSJ, was celebrated Oct. 16 at Nazareth Living Center chapel in south St. Louis County. Sister Rose Marie died Oct. 1 at Mercy South Hospital. She was 90.
Sister Rose Marie was born on May 26, 1935, in St. Louis to parents Julius and Marie Boyanchek. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1953 and was received into the novitiate in 1954 as Sister Mary Lucy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Fontbonne College (now University) in 1966.
Sister Rose Marie taught grade school from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. She taught at Holy Guardian Angels, St. Leo, St. Patrick, St. Cecilia, St. Gregory and St. Thomas of Aquin, all in St. Louis; St. Cecilia in Peoria, Illinois; and St. Viator in Chicago.
She began a 10-year ministry at St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf when it was located in University City. She first served as a childcare provider and houseparent (1974-81) and then as a teacher of deaf education (1981-84).
In 1984, Sister Rose Marie served as a library assistant at Immacolata School in Richmond Heights. A year later, she began her ministry in crafts and sewing at Nazareth Living Center (1985-94) and later at the Carondelet Day Care Center (1989-93), both in St. Louis. In 1993, she began serving in adult care and continued her ministry in crafts, sewing and crochet until her retirement in 2019.
Since 2019, Sister Rose Marie resided at Nazareth Living Center, where she continued to carry out her mission of prayer and presence.
Sister Rose Marie’s favorite things included playing the piano, sewing, embroidering and crafts of all kinds, including tatting and crocheting, and playing all kinds of card games. She also loved to teaching these skills to others.
She is survived by her sisters Martha Goetz of St. Louis and Mary Susan Lunsford of Ozark, Missouri.
Burial was in Resurrection Cemetery.
