Sister M. Yvonne Nohava, SSND

On the twelfth day of Christmas, January 6, 2018, just a week before her 101st birthday, our beloved Sister M. Yvonne Nohava, 100, died at 8:35 p.m. in Notre Dame Health Care, Good Counsel Hill, Mankato, Minnesota. As she grew weaker over the past several months, she entered Hospice, and sisters and staff were keeping vigil with her in the days before she died. She now joins two of her classmates, Sisters Dorothy Merth and Honora Elsen, who died recently. The funeral liturgy, with Father Eugene Stenzel as presider, will be held Thursday, January 11, at 10:30 a.m. in Our Lady of Good Counsel Chapel, followed by burial in Good Counsel Cemetery. A prayer service of remembrance will precede the funeral liturgy on Thursday morning at 9:00. We extend our sympathy to her sisters, Julie Washa and Theresa Zitzow, her nieces and nephews and their families, her friends, former students and colleagues, and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND Associates. She was preceded in death by her parents, Francis and Mary (Jirik) Nohava, her sisters, Agnes Hincks, Josephine Mamer, Catherine Frank, Sister Lillian (Rose) Nohava, Sister Rosemary (Mary) Nohava, Magdalen Nohava, and Leona Tupa, and her brothers, William, John (who died at age 14), Francis (who died in infancy), Francis and John. Sister Yvonne, the sixth child of Francis and Mary Nohava, was born on January 14, 1917, in Lonsdale, Minnesota, and baptized Ludmilla Catherine the next day at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale. She was known as Lillian. Her twin sisters, Rose and Mary, were born the next year. When the twins were about 18 months old, another child, Francis, was born. Their mother died shortly after his birth, and he died about two weeks later. Their father, a hardware dealer whose store was next to the family home, resolved to keep the family together if at all possible. Sister Yvonne later wrote, “My father spared himself no trouble in the endeavor to play the double part and to imbue us with a great love of Jesus and his mother.” In 1923, when she was six, Lillian began first grade at Immaculate Conception School, where she was taught by School Sisters of Notre Dame. She wrote in her autobiography, “I loved the sisters and never knew any other desire than to become one myself. During instructions I would often imagine myself standing before a class as a School Sister of Notre Dame, or teaching some children who never heard about Jesus.” In 1926 her father remarried, and Sister Yvonne recalled, “We loved our new mother very much and well did she take the place of our mother, for she brought much joy and sunshine into our home.” Lillian attended Immaculate Conception through tenth grade and was impressed by her kind teacher. She also grew in her love of nature and its creator as she took long walks with her father through country woods and hills. In 1933, as a high school junior, Lillian attended Bethlehem Academy in nearby Faribault. She attended Good Counsel Academy for her senior year, and it was on the eve of her graduation that she told her oldest sister of her desire to be a sister. She was hesitant to tell her parents because of the sacrifice it would involve, but her father responded with, “God has given us nine girls and he shall receive them back as he desires.” Lillian entered the SSND candidature in August 1935, and, following a year of preparation, taught second grade at St. Agnes, St. Paul. She was received into the novitiate in 1937 and given the name Sister M. Yvonne. After profession of vows in 1938, Sister Yvonne spent a year as assistant infirmarian in the motherhouse infirmary. She wrote at that time, “I enjoyed my work very much, for I have always felt an inclination to nursing.” The next year, Sister Yvonne began a long, successful ministry as an educator. She taught primary grades at St. Michael, St. Michael (1939-42) and junior high at St. Stanislaus, St. Paul (1942-46). She taught upper grades and was principal at St. John Nepomucene, Winona (1946-52), and had the same responsibilities at St. John, Mankato (1952-58). During these years, she earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Mount Mary College in 1949 and an MS. Ed in Chemistry from Creighton University in 1954. In 1958, she returned to St. Michael as a teacher of high school science and remained there until 1964. She taught science and math at Loyola High School, Mankato (1964-69); Good Counsel Academy, Mankato (1969-1978) and St. Agnes High School, St. Paul (1978-89). Chemistry and physics were her two main subject areas, and she was able to instill a love for science in her students. She commented, “I loved science. I believe I shared that with my students. I was interested in having them learn.” Because of her deep interest in science, she started science research clubs at schools where she taught. She received a letter of commendation from the Minnesota Academy of Science for her promotion of scientific research, education and understanding. She also was recognized by several scientific societies including a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) Teacher Award in 1972 and a Teacher Award of Excellence from NSTA and Engineers Council for Professional Development in 1973. Sister Yvonne made a strong impression on her students. One wrote, “I remember the first time I saw Sister Yvonne, when I was a freshman at Good Counsel. She was always wearing a lab coat over her SSND outfit, even when she was not in the classroom. I was impressed by how professional she conducted herself, her intelligence and her caring, outgoing manner. In the 1970’s in Mankato, there were very few female professional role models. There were no female physicians in town. But I had found my role model – Sister Yvonne.” Sister Yvonne became the adviser for students who entered science competitions. She taught students more than the principles of scientific investigation; she encouraged them and challenged them to be optimistic and to persevere – even when the experiments didn’t work as planned. For Sister Yvonne, according to another student, “There was no such thing as a ‘failed experiment.’ There was always something to learn, even from our mistakes.” One of her student’s research projects won high awards at a Nobel Conference in London, and others earned awards at various International Science and Engineering Fairs in the US. Another student remarked that, along with scientific knowledge, “Sister Yvonne helped me in life because she was so kind.” After fifty years, Sister Yvonne retired from classroom teaching in 1989. She came to Good Counsel Hill where she served as a driver and taught in the Learning Center until 1999. In 2001 she looked back at her teaching ministry and commented, “There’s nothing like teaching. For me there couldn’t have been anything else. You have a chance to touch lives and you learn a lot from students, too.” Sister Yvonne appreciated the opportunity to help care for her twin sisters, Sisters Rosemary and Lillian in their declining years and spent many hours with them daily. She was also devoted to other family members encompassing several generations, and they to her. When the names of the 2018 SSND Jubiliarians were published the first week January, Sister Yvonne was included as a member of the 80-year profession class. At the time of her 75th Jubilee, she expressed her gratitude to God for the many graces and blessings she received. She also thanked SSND “for preparing me to serve and follow Christ, and enabling me to lead others to know God’s love for them.” Sister Yvonne will now be celebrating her Jubilee with all the members of her profession class. May she know the joy and peace that comes from being “in the possession of Christ Jesus.”