Sister Mary Luke Sondgeroth OSF, 75, of Clinton passed away Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at The Alverno Health Care Facility.
Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m., Monday, March 7, 2011 at The Canticle; with Msgr. Francis Henricksen presiding.
Visitation will be 3:00 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 6, 2011 at the Canticle, with a Rosary at 3:30 p.m. and the Scripture Service at 6:30 p.m. Burial will take place in St. Irenaeus Calvary Cemetery, Clinton, Iowa.
Pallbearers will be her relatives. Lemke Funeral Homes has been handling the arrangements.
Sister Mary Luke was born July 30, 1935 in LaSalle, Illinois, the daughter of William Vincent and Bernardine(Didier) Sondgeroth. She attended Sts. Peter and Paul School in Peterstown, Illinois. She graduated from Mount St. Clare Academy, Clinton, Iowa. Sister Mary Luke received a B.S. in Home Economics degree from Marymount College, Salina, Kansas in 1963, and a M.S. degree in Nutrition from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa in 1968. She obtained certification in Clinical Pastoral Education from Mercy Hospital, Des Moines, Iowa in 1977. She received her Iowa Standard Professional Secondary Teaching Certificate in CNA, and CPE.
Sister Mary Luke joined The Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, on September 8, 1952, and professed her final vows on August 12, 1958.
Sister Mary Luke worked in a variety of ministries, including teaching, ministry to the sick and elderly, and parish ministry. She taught at St. Patrick, Perry, Iowa, St. Francis de Paula School in Chicago, Illinois; Mount St. Clare Academy, Clinton, Iowa and Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Fonda, Iowa. Following a year of pastoral ministry in Berea and McKee, Kentucky in Appalachia, she was engaged in food service in Davenport, Iowa and hospital and parish ministry in Des Moines. She served in AIDS Ministry of Illinois in Joliet in home health care. Most recently, she served in Clinton as part-time pastoral minister at Mercy Medical Center, and part-time at The Arch.
Sister Mary Luke retired in August, 2009.
She is survived by six brothers, Kenneth(Joyce) of Arlington, Illinois, Richard of Mendota, Illinois, Keith (Lynne) of Byron, Illinois, Gary (Margaret) of Peru, Illinois, Vernon (Mary) of Princeton, Illinois , Mark (Sheila) of Malden, Illinois, 2 sisters, Marilee (Michael) Meuser of Ladd, Illinois, and Susan (Jerry) Lewis of LaMoille, Illinois.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and 2 brothers, Gerald and Dennis.
Condolences can be made on line at www.lemkefuneral.com

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