Sister Joseph Taddy, age 94, a resident at Atrium Post Acute Care, 1 Hamilton Drive, Two Rivers, entered eternal life at Sunday, February 14, 2016 at the care center in Two Rivers.

Sister Joseph was born April 9, 1921 in Two Rivers. She was the daughter of the late William and Emma Gagnon Taddy. Sister Taddy was called to the ministry at any early age, entering the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity in Manitowoc after graduating from grade school at the age of 14. She volunteered to work in the infirmary with the older sister while getting her high school education and two years of college at the convent. At age 20, Sister Taddy was sent to Zanesville, OH to study nursing. World War II started shortly after that and all of the Registered Nurses were needed for service. There was one nun on each floor and the students ran the hospital. In her second years as a student, Sister Taddy was asked to be in charge of Pediatrics because there was no one else there to fill that position. Upon completing the nursing program with a Registered Nurses degree behind her name, she was sent to Milwaukee to continue her education by taking a post-graduate course in Nursing of Children. From that point she was asked to take over the Pediatric floor at Holy Family Hospital in Manitowoc. St. Taddy was there for seven years taking one year off to complete her Bachelors of Science Degree at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Some of her fellow students were World War II veterans and she listened to their stories. While attending college at Marquette University, Sister Taddy developed a keen interest in history. She then was sent to Zanesville, OH to take charge of the Pediatric Department and to teach Nursing of Children to student nurses. Sister Taddy did this for over twenty years with one year off to complete a Master's Degree in Pediatric Clinical Practice. Her thesis was "How the Nurse Can Help Parents on the Admission of Their Child to the Hospital". She recommended that parents participate in their child's care which made parents feel more secure. Many of the little patients were poor, but the hospital was known for its charity so no one was turned away. In the 1960's, Duquesne University in Pittsburg, PA was the center for the study of the new philosophy of Christian Existentialism. Fascinated by the well-known philosophers and psychologists, Sister Taddy obtained twenty two credits as a faculty benefit. Later those credits enabled her to transfer to the University of Pittsburg where she earned a PH.D in college teaching. In the late 1960's, Sister Taddy taught Nursing, and Growth and Development of Children at Duquesne University in Pittsburg, PA. She was a member of the "Upward Bound Program for minority students intending to enter college. From there she became a faculty member of the Sinclair Community College which was a very large community college in Dayton, OH. After fifteen years of teaching at the Sinclair Community College, Sister Taddy retired at the age 68. She was given a Professor Emeritus Award, not only for excellence in teaching but also for many years of legislative work to preserve licensure for graduates of Associate Degree programs as well as LPN's. While in Dayton, Sister Taddy took two units of training to be a chaplain along with doing volunteer work in two hospitals. At this time, she was drawn to a relatively newer form of religious community and she transferred her vows to the Sister For Christian Community, an international community with missions in Africa, Mexico, the Philippines, etc. Sister Taddy felt called to work in southeastern Kentucky where she helped unwed mothers bring their babies to term. She took those who were homeless to her own home and taught them to care for their babies. Sister Taddy was a commissioned member of four bishops' effort to save babies from abortion, it was called "Opportunities for Life". In Kentucky Sister Taddy was a co-director of St. Gerard's Pro-Life Center in Corbin. She tutored school children who were falling behind in their homework. Sister Taddy then completed certification classes for foster parenting through the Kentucky Cabinet for Human Resources. In 1991 she returned to Dayton and became the chaplain for the "Faith and Light" program for the mentally disabled adults. Over her career Sister Taddy was a member of many professional organizations. She retired to private life in her 80's and became a spiritual companion for women who were suffering emotionally, she prayed with them and taught them meditation. Sister Taddy returned to Two Rivers in March 2010 to be with her brother Hubert in his last illness. She was a right-brain dreamer and something of a free spirit. She loved poetry and beauty and the great outdoors. Sister Taddy loved camping in her little pup tent and doing walking meditation two miles at a time three times a day. She made friends with people of all faiths and national origins different from her own. She considered the whole world as her home.

She is survived by one brother and sister-in-law: Nyle and Dorothy Taddy, Two Rivers; several nieces and nephews, among them Brenda and Willi who have been especially helpful throughout the years; and her special pet cat: BiBi. She was called to continue life in heaven with God and those of her beloved family who had gone before her as she now joins her parents: William and Emma Taddy; her older sister: Mae (Taddy) Pagels; her brothers Hubert and Howard (Brother Nilus of the Salvatorian Community at St. Nazians); and also her sister: Margaret (Taddy) Allie.

In respect to Sister Taddy's wishes, private committal services will be held at a later date. Cremation has taken place at the Harrigan Parkside Crematory and Chapel. Online condolences to the family may be sent to www.harriganparksidefuneralhome.com.

It was Sister Taddy's wish to thank all of the women that stayed by her side and helped her in her last days. Special caregivers, Janet Egdorf, Laura Hayes-Stoeger and long-time care giver Wendy along with the women of Southern Care Hospice and the staff at the Atrium Post Acute Care Center in Two Rivers. You all were a blessing. Willi, thank you. You have a loving disposition and have been a continuous blessing in my life. I truly feel blessed by so many wonderful people that were in my life.

In the words from a friend to a sister, "Thanks for the encouragement you have offered to me and so many through the years by your example, good works, and prayer." As the saying goes, "You are all heart" and Sister Joseph Taddy certainly was. As she now leaves her friends, she wants them to remember and to know that God will always provide for them.

The Harrigan Parkside Funeral Home and Crematory, North 11th and St. Clair streets, Manitowoc, assisted the family with arrangements.