Sister Elizabeth Mary Gregware, CSJ, 97

Sister Elizabeth Mary Gregware, CSJ (Sister Mary Francina), 97, died Thursday, March 21, at St. Joseph’s Provincial House, Latham. She had been a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for the past 74 years.

Sister Elizabeth was born on Nov. 29, 1921 in Green Island, daughter of the late Louis and Laura Shepard Gregware. After attending Catholic Central High School in Troy, Sister Elizabeth worked at Frontier Machine Company and Ford Motor Company, both in Green Island, and in two family grocery stores—Benac’s and Gregware’s.

On March 19, 1945, Sister Elizabeth entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Troy, and professed final vows in Aug. 15, 1950. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from The College of Saint Rose and taught elementary grades and catechetics in schools and parishes in the Albany and Syracuse Dioceses for 20 years.

In 1967, Sister Elizabeth began a 25-year career at The College of Saint Rose as assistant supervisor of personnel, staff member in the printing and mail rooms and advisor for “domestics,” the latter term given to workers who were part of the depopulation of state-care facilities and the movement into community-centered treatment and supervised job training. 

Sister Elizabeth is survived by her cousins, Anne Marie Benac Wright, Anne Rule and Leanne Roberts; her friends, Ralph Randio and Fr. John Kostek; and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. In addition to her parents, Sister Elizabeth was predeceased by her cousin, Robert Benac, and her friend, Joan Clough.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at the Provincial House on March 27. Donations in Sister Elizabeth’s memory may be made to the Development Office, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 385 Watervliet Shaker Rd., Latham, N.Y., 12110.