Trimbur

Sister Mary Joseph Trimbur, OSF, 88, formerly of Butler, died early Wed-nesday at the Mount Alvernia motherhouse, Millvale.

Born Alice Catherine Trimbur, Sept. 27, 1918, in Butler, she was the daughter of Arthur W. and Clara C. Schuler Trimbur.

She entered into the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis on Sept. 7. 1935, from the St. Peter Parish, Butler.

After completing early studies, she spent 47 years teaching in the elementary schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. For 14 of those years, she was the administrative principal at Butler Catholic School, which was the largest elementary school in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. She later was programs coordinator at St. Peter Parish.

After leaving Butler, she ministered in pastoral care at St. Francis Medical Center until 2002. When failing health brought her to the motherhouse in Millvale, she joined the Sisters in Prayer Ministry.

Sister Mary Joseph will always be fondly remembered as someone very special, always polite, kind and thoughtful and spreading her wonderful sense of humor, even during her last illness.

Special awards and recognition were received from the Butler Fellowship of Churches-Butler Catholic, Francis A. Glenn Award for Ecumenical Services and Butler Catholic School, in appreciation of 14 years of service as administrative principal in 1984.

She was among the organizers of the ACLD program, Butler Catholic Charities. Her other activities included the Butler Fellowship of Churches chaplaincy chairperson; speaker, Butler Adult Day Care monthly film, talk, etc.; Instructional Professional Development Program for Teachers, Butler area schools; Ethics Committee, Partners in Ministry and the Helping Hands teen volunteers, St. Francis Medical Center; and the Social Concerns, Diocesan Group for Hospital and Parish concerns.

Surviving are a brother, Joseph Trimbur and his wife, Cora; sisters, Helen Marie Hohn and her husband, George, Catherine L. Doerr, Mary Susanne Reeves and her husband, William, Frances Jeanne Lowe and her husband, Alan and Carolyn A. Grecco and her husband, John; a brother-in-law, Eugene Mercurio; and nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Arthur and William; and four sisters, Grace Mendus, Dorothy Mercurio, Patricia Trimbur and Margaret Phillips.

<B>TRIMBUR</B> — Friends of Sister Mary Joseph Trimbur, OSF, who died Wednesday, June 20, 2007, will be received from 2 to 8 p.m. today and from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Friday at Mount Alvernia Motherhouse Chapel, 1456 Hawthorne Road, Millvale. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Friday in the chapel. Burial will be at the Sisters' Cemetery at Mount Alvernia.A wake service will be held at 6:15 p.m. today at Mount Alvernia.Vespers will be at 4:45 p.m. Friday at Mount Alvernia.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Ministry, Formation or Retirement Fund, 146 Hawthorne Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15209.