(1928-2026)

Sister Marge Urban concluded her homily at Jubilee in 1998 – her 50th Jubilee in the Congregation -- with these words:

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of our Jubilee years is to be Eucharist to others, to nourish others from the riches of our personal experience of brokenness and blessing. In the Eucharist, the everyday of our lives and the experiences of the Gospel converge. The story, then, of the Adrian Dominicans that will be told with the story of Jesus is that they were broken and poured out, as food for the world. Dare we dream that? And dare we make it happen?

Whether as a teacher, a pastoral minister, a substance abuse counselor, or one of the driving forces of a low-vision support group on the Adrian Dominican Sisters campus, Sister Marge certainly spent most of her almost eighty years in religious life using her own experiences of both brokenness and blessing to help other people.

Mary Margaret Urban was born in Detroit on September 2, 1928, the youngest child of Michael and Elizabeth (Kulwicki) Urban. Elizabeth was born on Detroit’s east side, while Michael’s family (originally surnamed Urbanski) came to Detroit from the small town of Potulice - which, at the time, was located in Germany but historically was part of Poland – when he was two years old. 

The couple were married at St. Albertus Church, the first Polish church in the Archdiocese of Detroit. As the city’s Polish community began expanding northeastward, a new parish, St. Hyacinth, took shape several blocks from St. Albertus, and the Urbans became a St. Hyacinth family.

Originally, Michael worked as a printer, but after 13 years in that profession he quit and took classes at Wayne State to become a funeral director and follow in the footsteps of his father-in-law, who was the first Polish undertaker in Michigan.

Over time, three daughters were born: first Anastasia, then Elizabeth, and finally Mary Margaret. The two older girls were each named after one of their grandmothers, and all three were given nicknames by their father: Anastasia became “Honey,” Elizabeth was called “Mitzi,” and Mary Margaret was known as “Margie.”

Read more about Sister Margaret (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 Margaret'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 Margaret'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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