104-year-old Catholic nun who served Sacred Heart for 18 years remembered
Sister Mary Daniel Murphy passed away on March 14 at the age of 104.
She served Sacred Heart Catholic Church for 18 years between 1933 and 1951 under father Haffner.
She was one of seven sisters at Sacred Heart at the time, five teaching nuns, a sister superior and a cafeteria cook. She donated her body to St. Louis University School of Medicine.
On Jan. 25,1910, twins were born to Mary [Spears] and Daniel Murphy in Chamberlain, S.D. Mary Ellen and Elmer were the first of five children in the Murphy household. A younger brother and two younger sisters would bring much joy to the Irish family. When Mary Ellen was three years old, the family moved to Nebraska. Mr. Murphy was employed by the Santa Fe Railroad which resulted in these moves.
Her parents consented to her entrance into the candidature on Sept. 2,1926, at the age of 16. During her second year of candidature, she taught second grade at St. Engelbert School, St. Louis. She was received into the novitiate on Aug. 16, 1928 and given the name, Mary Daniel, in honor of her father. Profession of first vows was July 22,1930, and profession of final vows was July 13, 1936.
Sister Mary Daniel's life's ministry was with young children. She taught primary grades for 48 years at St. Engelbert, St. Elizabeth Day Nursery, St. Bernadette, Our Lady of Loretto and St. Aloysius Gonzaga in St. Louis; St. Joseph, Westphalia, Mo.; St. Joseph, Farmington, Mo.; St. Peter, St. Charles, Mo.; Sacred Heart, Du Quoin, Ill.; Santa Isabel, Los Angeles, Calif.
She then became a resource person and volunteer primary teacher for an additional 22 years at St. Engelbert, St. Louis; St. Rita, San Diego, Calif. and St. Marianne, Pico Rivera, Calif.
In 2003, she retired at the motherhouse in St. Louis but continued to keep herself active. At the age of 95, she was missioned to Veronica House in 2005. In January 2014 [after her 104th birthday], she was transferred to Anna House.
She died peacefully at Anna House on March 12, 2014, at 6:50 p.m. as sisters kept vigil and prayed with her.
Short of 16 credits, Sister Mary Daniel was unable to complete her college courses and receive a college degree due to poor health and frequent bouts of pneumonia. However, with her will to live and the desire to serve others, she was blessed with a long life.
Sister "Danny" was loved by the children and their childlike qualities were manifested in her. She was an excellent primary educator and touched hundreds of young lives. This was evidenced by the 22 former pupils for Du Quoin, Ill. who came together to pray and remember her when they learned of her death. She was a very creative person and made learning games, manipulatives and numerous materials for a variety of activities for primary students.
Sister Mary Daniel was an avid walker and walked daily or used the tread mill even when her lungs were so compromised. She loved nature and enjoyed the view from her room if she could not get outside. Her Irish humor and wit was matched by her straight forward responses.
She was a passionate fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team which was the theme for the decorations for her 100th birthday party. She would often stay up late to hear the end of a game or take her lunch to her room to enjoy an early afternoon game.