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Obituaries

February 05, 1937 - December 10, 2009.

Kathleen Blair, SSJ

Kathleen Blair, SSJSister Kathleen Blair, 72, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on December 10, 2009.  Formerly Sister James Marie, she was in her 56th year of religious life.  She was born on February 5, 1937 in Erie, the daughter of the late James Sayre and Mary Elizabeth “Betty” (Felleisen) Blair. 

She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph from her home parish, Saint Peter Cathedral, Erie, on September 2, 1954.  She professed her final vows on August 15, 1960.  For 50 years, Sister Kathleen was involved in the ministry of teaching and spent 29 of those years as teacher and librarian at Villa Maria Academy in Erie (1977-2006). 

Sister Kathleen began teaching at Holy Rosary School, Erie in (1954) and Saint Patrick School, Erie in (1956-57).  Subsequent assignments included Saint Francis, Clearfield (1957-1963), and Blessed Sacrament, Erie (1963-1968).  From 1968-1976 she worked at Saint Peter Cathedral Center in Erie.  She served on the Erie County Library Board for nearly 20 years.

She graduated from Villa Maria Academy, Erie, in 1954.  She earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Villa Maria College, Erie in 1965 and a Masters of Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1977.  In November 2008, she received the Villa Maria Academy Alumni of the Year award. 

During her 50th Jubilee year in 2004, Sister Kathleen shared the following reflection on her vocation and ministry in education.  “I believe that the seed of my calling to serve God as a Sister of Saint Joseph, a community whose mission is unity of neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God and whose charism (gift to the church) is love—love of God and neighbor without distinction, was planted in those early years at home where it grew and was nurtured in me,” she explained.  “(And)I realized early on that teaching was what I really wanted to do.  Working with children, instilling in them a love for learning and the desire to be life-long learners, is an awesome privilege which I value to this very day.”

Sister Kathleen is survived by the members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania.  In addition, she is survived by one sister, Lore Blair of Erie and several cousins.  
Memorials may be made to the Community Support Fund of the Sisters of St. Joseph, 5031 West Ridge Road, Erie, PA  16506-1249. 

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