Sister James Marie O'Connor, SSND

(née Julia O'Connor)

First Profession August 5, 1944

Motherhouse

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Provincial Leader

School Sisters of Notre Dame

DeKalb (Chicago) Province

1971 to 1975

Beloved sister of Rev. James J. O'Connor.

Sister James Marie O'Connor, a former teacher and school principal who served as vicar for religious for the Diocese of Rockford for 30 years, died at home at Notre Dame Convent in Rockford, Ill., on Feb. 29. She was 91 and had been a professed member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame for 67 years. Sister James Marie had also served as provincial leader of the former Chicago-DeKalb Province of SSND and local leader of her motherhouse in DeKalb and spent two years in Rome. At the time of her death she was a consultant to the diocese of Rockford for women religious, a position she had held since retiring as vicar for religious in 2005.

Julia Mary O'Connor was born on Feb. 21, 1921, in Gary, Ind., to Irish immigrants Bridget Marie (Carroll) and Luke Martin O'Connor. She graduated from Catholic Central High School in Hammond, Ind., and worked in secretarial and clerical positions before entering the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Milwaukee in September 1942. She was given the religious name James Marie and made her first vows in August 1944.

Her first teaching assignment was the 7th grade at St. John de Nepomuc in Milwaukee (1944-1958). She went on to serve as Superior and Principal of the school for five years (1958-63) before becoming principal of St. Anthony in Detroit (1963-64) and St. Benedict in Blue Island, Ill. (1964-66).

Sister James Marie spent a year as Supervisor of Schools for the former Chicago-DeKalb Province before joining the Constitutional Preparatory Commission at the SSND Generalate in Rome in 1967. She returned to the U.S. in 1969 to become local leader of the motherhouse in DeKalb. In 1971 she was elected Provincial Leader of the Chicago-DeKalb Province of SSND, now part of the Atlantic-Midwest Province. She served four years before becoming Vicar for Religious for the Diocese of Rockford in 1975, a post she would hold for 30 years.

Sister James Marie is a 1957 graduate of Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. She earned a master's in education from Marquette University in Milwaukee in 1970.

Sister James Marie is survived by her sister, Therese "Tess" J. O'Connor of Merrillville, Ind., who lived with Sister James Marie in recent years. Her brother, the Rev. James J. O'Connor of Fort Wayne, Ind., died in 2007.

Memorial contributions may be made to the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Atlantic-Midwest Province, c/o Mission Advancement Office, 345 Belden Hill Road, Wilton, CT 06897.

School Sisters of Notre Dame, Atlantic-Midwest Province

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord!