(1936-2026)

When Sister Ann Marie Petri celebrated her Golden Jubilee in the Congregation in 2006, the Catholic Times, which at the time covered the Diocese of Lansing, wrote an article about her in its June 24-30 issue that described how she came to be an Adrian Dominican Sister.

As Sister Ann Marie told the story, when her two aunts in the Congregation, Sisters Antoinette and Seraphica, made their home visits, she loved hearing their stories, and one of them told her once that if she joined the convent, she’d see the world. She thought it would be exciting to, if not see the world, at least be missioned to California, Florida, and Chicago as her aunts had been.

“But,” she told the newspaper, “the funny thing is, I never got out of Michigan” except for three years of graduate-level study at Notre Dame.

Ann Marie Petri was born on April 21, 1936, in Detroit to Francis and Ernestine (Adey) Petri. Ernestine’s mother, Helena Blackmore, was born in England and raised in a Dominican boarding school, and when she was sixteen, the Sisters sent her to Austria to be a governess to two little girls. There, she met and married a soldier who, when Ernestine was three years old, was declared missing in action in World War I. No trace of him was ever found.

Helena and her daughter left Austria and eventually ended up in Detroit. Because of the anti-German sentiment of the time, Helena changed the family surname from Schnopf to Adey.

Ernestine met Francis in Detroit when she was sixteen years old and he twenty. They married four years later in 1934.

Read more about Sister Ann Marie (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 Home, Adrian.

Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)

Vigil and Funeral Recordings

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 Ann Marie'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 Ann Marie's Funeral 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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