Obituary of Sr. Kathryne Francis Berger, OSF

Sister Kathryne Francis Berger, OSF (1933 - 2017) died at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home, Joliet, Illinois, on April 14, 2017. A native of Hammond, Indiana, she was one of four children born to Mary (Ruppel) and Robert Berger. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Mary Rolanda Fisher. She is survived by her brothers, Robert of Brandon, Florida and Richard, of Summerville, South Carolina. Sister Kay Francis was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate (Joliet) for 40 years. Sister Kay Francis attended SS. Peter and Paul Parish School in Merrillville, Indiana, and St. Francis High School in Fort Wayne. She earned a B.A. in Art from St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She earned her Master of Fine Arts at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and took additional coursework in art at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Before entering the Joliet Franciscans, Sister Kay Francis was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Mishawaka, Indiana, where she ministered as a teacher in grade school, and taught art at the high school level in schools in Indiana and at St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sister Kay Francis taught art at St. Francis Academy (now Joliet Catholic Academy) in Joliet, Illinois from 1975 to 1976. In 1976 Sister began a full-time ministry as an artist working in various mediums. She concentrated in working with metals while obtaining her Master's degree and made numerous chalices and jewelry from precious metals. Eventually her specialty became Franciscan-themed art through drawings, paintings, tapestries and especially sculptures. Many of her art pieces can be found in churches, convents, schools and homes throughout the United States and Brazil. On August 1, 2015, Sister Kay Francis was named Artist Laureate of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate. The wake for Sister Kay Francis will be at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home, 1201 Wyoming Avenue, Joliet, Illinois, (Wyoming and Rt. 30) on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 from 2:00 - 6:45 p.m., with a Prayer Service at 4:45 p.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 7:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, 1433 Essington Road, Joliet, IL 60435. Funeral arrangements entrusted to the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black at Essignton Rds., Joliet. For more information, please call 815-741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com