Sr Mary Wentland

Sister Mary Wentland, 67, died on Friday, June 7, 2013, at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, Minn.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Francis Convent on Saturday, June 15, at 11 a.m.

Friends may call at St. Francis Convent on Friday, June 14, from 4-8:30 p.m. and from 8:30 a.m. until the time of the funeral on June 15, at 11 a.m.

Sister Mary was born on January 3, 1946, in Holdingford, Minn., the first of six children of the late Stanley and Dorothy (Sowada) Wentland. She was accepted as a Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, on May 31, 1965. She made her first profession of vows on June 13, 1967, and final vows on September 8, 1974. She was a Franciscan Sister for 48 years.

Sister Mary put her whole heart into whatever she undertook, whether it was healthcare ministries, computer programming, gardening, keeping up house, lawn and automobile, or researching for community projects or cancer treatment. This quality carried over into her relational life and endeared her to family members, friends, and sisters and associates of her religious community. Her nine-year struggle with ovarian cancer broadened the circle of her relationships as she partnered with healthcare providers in seeking treatment, celebrating successes and enduring with equanimity the sufferings that were part of the journey. An equally wholehearted commitment to prayer deepened her Franciscan spiritual life, which led her to a progressive surrendering to the God of love.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo.; a Master of Science in nursing administration from the University of Illinois, Chicago; a computer programming diploma from the Career Development Institute, Bloomington, Minn. She ministered in health care as a staff and head nurse, a health education coordinator and a vice-president of patient care services. Later she served as a computer programmer, a software engineer and a health insurance counselor. While living in central Minneapolis, she also was active as a neighborhood volunteer and organizer. Over the years she had served in Cudahy, Wis.; Little Falls, Brainerd, Breckenridge, Bloomington, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.

Survivors include siblings: Susan, Little Falls; Karen (Albert) Hubers, Allen (Jan) and Bonita (Robert) Wiehoff, St. Cloud; Mark (Lisa) Westminster, Colo.; uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, many special friends and her Franciscan Community.
Donations to Franciscan Sisters Ministries preferred.