Obituary for Sister Fran Morrissey, FSPA

Sister Fran Morrissey, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, 87, died on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at St. Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She was in the sixty-fifth year of her religious profession. Born on Nov. 28, 1937, in Fairfield, Iowa, Frances Ethel was one of 13 children of Charles and Lois (Klingbeil) Morrissey. Her family moved to Carroll, Iowa two years after she was born.

When there were nine children, her father bought them all uniforms, including the baby, since they had enough for a baseball team. Growing up in a large Catholic family, the rosary and Mass were important daily rituals. Fran remembered getting a penny each week for being good and helping with chores. She and her siblings would pool their money together to buy their parents Christmas presents.

Fran entered the novitiate of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in 1957 and was given the name Sister Mary Malachy. She later went back to her baptismal name. She made her first profession of vows on Aug. 12, 1959. Sister Fran’s early ministry centered on serving the community of sisters where she lived as a homemaker. She ministered in various convents in Iowa (Spencer, West Bend, Carroll, Cedar Rapids, Milford) and Wisconsin (Stanley, Menomonie, Marathon) for 25 years. During that time, she occasionally taught music and served as the school librarian.

From 1985 to 1987, she attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and participated in Credo, a spiritual renewal program. Sister Fran returned to the Midwest and ministered as a seamstress and driver at Villa St. Joseph in La Crosse, a position she held for 25 years. In 2012, she retired to St. Rose Convent where she continued to volunteer, using her sewing skills and praying. She moved back to Villa St. Joseph in 2019 when her health began to fail. In 2022, she returned to St. Rose Convent.

Community members, family and friends, remember Sister Fran as always happy and ready with a good story. Her smile was as big as her heart. She could be counted on to help with any project, regardless of its magnitude. As a practical joker, she was constantly pulling tricks on someone. She loved a good party and participating in any craft project or activity while she was able. And her exquisite sewing kept the gift shops at Villa St. Joseph and St. Rose Convent well-supplied with lovely items.