Obituary of Sister Donna Marie Baier, OSF
Sister Donna Marie Baier was born in Chicago to the late Wilhelmina (Jaeger) and George Baier. She entered the Joliet Franciscan Congregation in 1954 from Sacred Heart-Englewood Parish in Chicago, Illinois. One of five children, Sister Donna Marie had one brother, Brother Leonard George, FSC, and three sisters, Sister M. George Baier, OSF, Bernice (Harry) Bloom, Beatrice (Kenneth) Leyendecker, all of whom have preceded her in death. Sister Donna Marie was reunited with her immediate family when she passed into eternal life at Morris Hospital, Morris, Illinois, in the early evening of Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at the age of 86. She is the beloved aunt of many nieces and nephews and will be fondly remembered by many friends and many students.
Sister Donna Marie attended Sacred Heart-Englewood School, Chicago, Illinois, for both elementary and high school. She then earned her BA in Education/Biology from the College of St. Francis (University of St. Francis) and her MA in Education from DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois. Post-graduate studies and workshops took her to the College of St. Francis,
Joliet, Illinois; College of St. Mary of the Spring, Terre Haute; Indiana; and Viterbo College, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Nearly four decades of her 69 years as a Joliet Franciscan was spent in educational ministry, as a teacher and principal in Illinois based parishes/schools: Annunciation, Aurora, Illinois; Cathedral of St. Raymond Catholic School, Joliet, Illinois; and St. Joseph School, Manhattan, Illinois. Out of state locations included a trio of Ohio points: Immaculate Conception School, Columbus, Ohio; St. Peter School, Mansfield, Ohio; and St. Francis de Sales School, Toledo, Ohio. Her last assignment spanned 21 years, as teacher and simultaneously principal, at St. Joseph School in Manhattan, Illinois. The Manhattan Lions Club presented her with an award in appreciation and recognition of her dedicated service to St. Joseph School and the Manhattan Community, 1973-1994.
Although Sister Donna Marie enjoyed her many years in education, in her years of retirement she found great satisfaction working with the sisters and “seasoned” adults at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home. There she served as Director of Volunteers, 2005-2016, managed “Angels Attic Gift Shop,” and assisted with the publication, “A Slice of Life at OLA,” an internal communique for the residents.
Visitation for Sister Donna Marie Baier will take place from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Road, Joliet, Illinois, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. There will be a Visitation (9:30 a.m.) before the Mass of Christian Burial, which will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 404 North Hickory St., Joliet, Illinois, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Remembrances and Committal will take place in the Chapel at Resurrection Cemetery, 200 W. Romeo Rd., Romeoville, Illinois, 60446. All are welcome to attend.
If you would like to make a donation in honor of Sister Donna Marie Baier or another Joliet Franciscan Sister, please send your memorial to the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, 1433 Essington Rd., Joliet, Illinois, 60435.
For more information please call (815) 741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com where you can share a favorite memory or leave a condolence.
