Sister Mary Alice Walters, CSA, baptized Elizabeth Johanna, died
peacefully November 4, 2021, at Nazareth Center, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Elizabeth was born on June 21, 1928, in Hays, Kansas, the second
youngest of twelve children of Frank Walters and Monica Koerner Walters.
Her mother died when she was four years old. Later her father married
Rose Befort, a widow with two children. Frank and Rose had two children
of their own, creating a blended family of sixteen to whom Sister Mary
Alice was devoted all her life. She entered St. Agnes Convent in 1943
and graduated from St. Agnes High School. She made her profession of
vows in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Mary Alice on
August 15, 1947, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Sister Mary Alice wanted to be a teacher from an early age, hoping
to develop better methods to help children learn than those from her own
experience of rote learning amid strict discipline. She achieved her
goal, becoming a lifelong learner and educator. She began teaching in
Fall 1947 while pursuing undergraduate studies; she earned a B.S. in
Education from Marian College of Fond du Lac in 1960. Sister Mary Alice
taught in elementary schools in Wisconsin and Kansas. In 1971, she
earned her MA in Education, with an emphasis on Administration, from
Mary Manse College, Toledo, Ohio, qualifying her to serve as principal
at SS. Peter and Paul School, Hortonville, WI; St. Joseph School, Hays,
Kansas; St. Louis and St. Patrick School, Fond du Lac, WI; and St. Agnes
School, Butler, WI. Both as a classroom teacher and a principal she
fostered individualized learning and curriculums with a whole-child
approach. Sister Mary Alice also served on several school boards,
nonprofit boards, and educational committees including St. Mary’s
Springs High School Board of Directors, Fond du Lac; the Milwaukee
Archdiocesan Review Board for Accreditation; and as chairperson of the
HOPE Committee (Helping Others Promote Education) a CSA initiative that
awarded grants to disadvantaged schools and religious education programs
for teacher certification and educational materials.
Taking on a new role from 1991-1995, Sister Mary Alice was appointed
by CSA leadership to serve as local coordinator for the elderly and
infirm sisters residing at Nazareth Heights in Fond du Lac.
Sister Mary Alice spent her final years in active ministry at St.
Stephen’s Parish in Milwaukee from 2000-2013, beginning as a religion
teacher then assuming the role of Coordinator of Religious Education.
She retired from this role in 2013 and chose to continue working as a
volunteer in the parish: visiting the homebound, substituting as a
catechist, and being a dearly loved presence and support to the staff
and parishioners. She also enjoyed gardening and offering hospitality at
her home in Cudahy, located close to the parish. In May 2021, Sister
Mary Alice was unexpectedly diagnosed with terminal cancer. She
immediately moved to Nazareth Center where she received loving care and
support until the time of her death six months later.
Sister Mary Alice was preceded in death by her parents; her
stepmother; her sisters, Marcella (Ray) Dreiling, Cecelia (Clarence)
Wolf, Catherine (Lex) Schmidt, Mary (Al) Pfeifer, Alice (Alfred)
Windholz, Frances (Herbert) Schmidt, Rita Mae Walters, Wilma (George)
Bieker, and Miriam Walters; her brothers Ralph (Anna Mae) Walters and
Robert (Ernestine) Befort.
She is survived by her brother, Ronald (Pam) Walters; her sisters
Rosemary (Ernest) Gerstner, Leona (George) Fross, and Janet (Jude)
Gerstner; hundreds of nieces, nephews, and their families; and the
Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed, and ministered.
Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held at Nazareth Court
and Center, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, from 9:00
-11:00 a.m. and from 12:00 -1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 2, 2021.
A prayer service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on December 2, 2021, in
the Nazareth Center Chapel. Please check in for the Visitation and
Prayer Service at the 375 Gillett Street entrance only.
The Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Mary Alice will be held on
December 2, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. in St. Francis Home Chapel, 33 Everett
Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Father Kenneth Smits, Capuchin
presiding. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, Fond du
Lac, WI.
Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
The Sisters of St. Agnes are grateful to the nurses and staff of
Nazareth Court and Center and Hospice Hope for their care of Sister Mary
Alice.