Celebrating two lives, remembering one Mission

John and Lucille had been faithful supporters of the Mission of the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis for most of their adult life. It wasn't just their Mission that impacted John and Lucille, but the Sisters themselves.

In 1940, Lucille came to the Saint Francis College of Nursing to begin her nursing studies. To her dismay, she was too late to begin classes that fall, so the Sister's made arrangements for her to stay in the dormitory and work floor duty for room and board. It was during this time that she met and bonded with Sister M. Corita, who took Lucille under her wing. It was the beginning of a life-long friendship. Lucille found more than friendship with the Sisters at Saint Francis, she found her faith as well.

After prayerful thought, Lucille decided not to pursue nursing and Sister Corita helped her with arrangements to transfer to OSF St. Mary Hospital in Galesburg. There, Lucille worked for room and board while she attended nearby Brown Business College.

Lucille remembers well the first time she met John on the elevator at OSF St. Mary. It was the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. John, who worked in Chicago after graduating from Knox College, had come back to Galesburg for a visit. After their brief encounter, John asked Sister Anita, one of the Sisters at OSF St. Mary, to arrange a proper meeting with Lucille. Their relationship blossomed under the watchful eyes of the Sisters. Before he graduated from college, John also found his faith through friendship with the Brothers at Corpus Christi Church in Galesburg. Lucille and John grew in love and faith with a mutual respect and dedication to the Sisters' work. One year after they met, Lucille followed John to Chicago and attended the IBM school to learn keypunch. They were married the following year.

John and Lucille stayed in close contact with the Sisters and especially Sister Corita. They supported her mission work with children in Ecuador and when that ended, they continued their support of the work of the Sisters through the Ministry of OSF and the OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois.

John and Lucille agreed it was important to remember the Sisters' Mission in their will. The Sisters had been instrumental in bringing them together and had deeply impacted their lives and their faith. After their attorney drafted their Will, Lucille sent a copy of the codicil to the OSF Saint Francis Foundation for their records. Their legacy gift is truly a Legacy of Hope for the children and families who will be served by the Sisters' Mission in the future. It is a gift that brings full circle the love and faith they found so many years ago.

There are many reasons a person chooses to leave a bequest in their Will. We are honored that you may consider the Ministry of OSF in yours. For your convenience, please CLICK HERE to review sample bequest language. You might find it helpful to print the sample bequest language to give to your attorney. If you have any questions, or if we can be of assistance as you consider a bequest to support any part of the Ministry of OSF, please CONTACT US.