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(1941-2026)
Joan called forth from her students the values and virtues buried deep inside, and isn’t it likely that those same young women called forth virtue in Joan? That’s how her life was, filled with family and friendships that enriched her life and prepared her for this lasting time with God.
Sister Susan Van Baalen’s funeral homily for Sister Joan Krajewski, from which this quote is taken, honored a woman whose more than twenty-two years in ministry at Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Illinois, helped shape the lives of thousands of young women – and who was, in turn, shaped by them.
Joan Marie Krajewski entered the world on May 28, 1941, at a hospital in Highland Park, Michigan, an enclave of Detroit. She was the first child of Walter and Genevieve (Ringvelski) Krajewski, who lived on Detroit’s east side; her brother, Daniel, was born about seven years later.
As the oldest child and, especially, as the only girl, she was “nicely spoiled” by her father, with whom she was very close. “I loved my mother, her sense of humor and everything, but I could always talk much more easily with my dad,” she said in her life story.
Sister Joan described her home life as “kind of a ‘Leave it to Beaver’ home.” Her father worked as a tire checker for what was then called U.S. Tire, later known as Uniroyal, while her mother worked in a school cafeteria. One set of grandparents had a farm where she spent her summers, while the other set of grandparents lived with Joan and her family – as did her aunt and the aunt’s two boys until Uncle Gene came home from his military service in World War II.
“My grandparents took care of us while my parents were at work,” she wrote. “My two cousins and I were called the ‘Hole in One Gang.’ We climbed trees, went through the alley collecting pop bottles and taking them to the store for money. I was a real tomboy. We had wonderful times together.”
She was educated by the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Sisters at both St. Catherine School, where she attended first grade, and St. Raymond of Penafort School. She also had two cousins who were Felicians, and between the two congregations, “I thought those were the only kind of Sisters there were,” she wrote. “The first time I saw a Dominican was when I went to Dominican High to register.”
Read more about Sister Joan (PDF)
Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Anderson-Marry Funeral Services, Adrian.
Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)
Note: To view recordings with closed captioning, they must be viewed on our public video library rather than through the links below.
Recording of Sister Joan's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Joan's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Leave your comments and remembrances – if you don't see the comment box below, click on the "Read More" link.
(1934-2026)
Richmond, Virginia, was the birthplace of Barbara Nash Gentry, the only child of James and Catherine (Nash) Gentry, on October 13, 1934. Her parents bestowed Catherine’s maiden name on her as her middle name, following a Southern tradition of honoring both sides of the family.
When she was old enough for school, she attended public school for two years until James and Catherine transferred her to St. Paul School. There, she was taught by the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia, a congregation based in Bristow, and she was immediately drawn to the religious life of the Sisters who were her teachers.
Her high school years were spent at St. Gertrude High School, an all-girls’ school in Richmond also run by the Benedictine Sisters, and in September 1953, after having graduated that June, she made the roughly hundred-mile trip from Richmond to Bristow to enter the congregation.
She was received as a novice in March 1954 and given the religious name Sister Mary John. Little is known about her earliest years with the Benedictines, but in a brief autobiography she wrote that she had studied music in school and done well, and so, while still a novice, she was given charge of the Sisters’ choir when the choir mistress died.
Read more about Sister Barbara (PDF)
Recording of Sister Barbara's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Barbara's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Sister Frances (always called Fran) Madigan concluded a brief version of her autobiography with this paragraph:
I am grateful to a God who has called me and continues to invite me to be a partner to bring the love of God to all creation. “Be still and know that I am God” is a mantra I hope to accomplish before the Last Judgement.
Those who knew her would certainly attest to the way she fully responded to the invitation from God which she referenced. As one of her friends, Sara Martinez, wrote in a remembrance shared at her wake:
She was always curious and genuinely interested in learning about other traditions, cultures, and ways of seeing the world. Even when she didn’t agree or share the same beliefs or customs, she never judged. Instead, she listened with an open heart, with compassion and understanding. She always tried to find the good in people and to understand them. She had a beautiful gift of making everyone feel heard, respected and valued.
Laverne Frances Madigan entered the world on August 30, 1934, in Cook County Hospital, Chicago. Her parents were Dennis and Josephine (DeSmidt) Madigan. Both Dennis and Josephine were first-generation Americans; Dennis’ father came from Ireland to Philadelphia, where Dennis was born before the family moved to Chicago, and Josephine’s parents came from Belgium to Chicago.
Dennis and Josephine met in Chicago. In time, the couple had seven children: Laverne, Dennis, Karen, Terry, Larry, Tom, and Frances. An older girl, a half-sister named Joan, was raised by Josephine’s mother for most of Laverne’s childhood.
Joan went on to enter the Congregation, becoming known as Sister Frances Karen, but withdrew during her novitiate year in 1949.
The children attended St. Laurence School, where Adrian Dominican Sisters were their teachers. “I loved school and I loved the nuns,” Sister Fran said in her life story. “They were young, joyful people who, really and truly, you could tell they were happy,” and she enjoyed being around them and looked for ways to spend time with them.
Read more about Sister Frances (PDF)
Recording of Sister Fran's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Fran's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
(1939-2026)
Martha was unique. Martha often took the unlikely road. Or, as in Robert Frost’s famous poem, she frequently traversed the less traveled road.
This quote comes from Sister Nancyann Turner’s remembrance of Sister Martha Napior at Sister Martha’s wake. Sister Nancyann, who entered the Congregation alongside Sister Martha, remembered her compatriot in the St. Dominic Crowd as someone who loved nature, frequently took in homeless animals, and followed God’s call to minister in a wide variety of settings.
“We trust that the roads, even the less traveled roads, have brought you peace and brought you home to your God,” Sister Nancyann wrote.
Martha Camilla Ann Napiorkowski – the family name was shortened later on – was born on July 27, 1939, to Dominic and Stella (Popielarski) Napior. Dominic, or Dominick as it appears to have been originally, came to the U.S. from Poland in 1912, while Stella (a name Americanized from Stanislava, her birth name) was born in Pennsylvania.
Eventually, Dominic and Stella both ended up in Hamtramck, Michigan, a small city located within Detroit that at the time was almost entirely Polish. The couple were married in 1922 at St. Florian Church in Hamtramck and went on to have five children in all: Edward, Arthur, Loretta, Marcella, and Martha. Marcella died in 1938 at just nine months of age. Dominic was employed at one of the area’s automobile factories, while Stella supervised the home front.
Martha attended nearby St. Augustine School in Detroit for the elementary grades and the first two years of high school. The school was staffed by Adrian Dominican Sisters, and from about the age of twelve she knew she wanted to enter the Congregation. With her parents’ consent, when her sophomore year of high school was complete in June 1955 she came to Adrian to enter the postulate. She was not quite sixteen years old at the time.
Read more about Sister Martha (PDF)
Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221.
Recording of Sister Martha's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
Recording of Sister Martha's Memorial Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)
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