Margaret Parry, CSJP-A (1938-2023)
Margaret Ann Parry was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on September 27, 1938, to Griffith Evan and Mary (Murphy) Parry. Living the Gospel value of reaching out to others seemed to be a part of Margaret’s DNA. Her involvement with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace began as a result of her accompanying a friend, who was thinking of entering, to the novitiate in Bellingham, Washington, to meet Mother Hildegarde McMahon. Out of courtesy, Margaret was given an application form. Her friend never completed the form, but Margaret did. The rest of her life in community was an extension of that first act of helping others.
After completing the novitiate and pronouncing first vows in 1962, Sister Margaret continued her university education, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Seattle University in Seattle, Washington, in 1966. Her nursing career was widespread and varied, beginning with a three-year assignment as Chief Nurse in Bukidnon in the Mindanao region of the Philippines. She loved her work, especially those years as visiting nurse to the most needy in Seattle. Sister Margaret worked as a public health nurse for about eight years, subsequently joining Catholic Charities in 1981 as a consultant to their aging program. During her long career in Seattle, she also took on administrative positions at the diocesan housing for seniors at the Josephinum and at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Sister Margaret had a vibrant, though quiet, personality. She loved animals and especially loved sailing, even belonging to a sailing club. Her Jubilee reflection perhaps sums up best who she really was. As she looked back on her time as a sister, she credited being a part of the Congregation with enabling her to care and be present for the ill and their families, to support her fellow sisters, and to encounter the diverse group of people who make up her community and friends. She described these experiences as “gifts that I have treasured. Being able to form heart to heart relationships, both temporary and long term, have been the joys of my life.”
Sister Margaret suffered greatly from rheumatism, so the invitation to join a community of friends and associates in the desert community of La Quinta, California, was readily accepted. She made frequent visits back to St. Mary-on-the Lake in Bellevue, Washington, where her gentle humor and love of late evening chats were proverbial.
Sister Margaret Parry died on September 4, 2023. She was preceded in death by her parents, an older infant sister also named Margaret, and her brother James. She is deeply mourned by her nephews, Jim and Michael Parry, and their families.