Obituary: Eleanor Willett, SCN, 90

Eleanor Willett, SCN, 90 (formerly Sister Etheldreda) died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, at Nazareth. She was born Aug. 28, 1933, in Fancy Farm to James Judson Willett and Mary Benita Merritt Willett. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 69 years.

When she joined the SCN Community, several of her family members were also Sisters of Charity of Nazareth: her aunt, Sister Rita Ann Willett, and her cousins, Sister Clara Willett and Sister Rachel Willett.

Her earliest ministries were in education. She taught primary grades in Newport News, Va; Memphis, Tenn; Louisville and Bardstown. She served as a teacher for over 20 years.

In 1981, she began a new career in health care. She became a nurse’s aide at Nazareth Home in Louisville. After earning her license as an LPN, she returned to Nazareth Home, where she ministered to Sisters and other residents until 2007. She then began working as an LPN at the Motherhouse at Nazareth. She also volunteered for patient care and the Mini Shop at Nazareth.

She served her SCN Community in the communications office, developing the SCN News. She also served in the Vocations Office. She often baked for her Sisters, a skill she learned from her mother and father.

She is survived by one sister, Diane Carol Greifenkamp; two brothers, William Elmer Willett and Joseph Merritt Willett; her extended family; and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

An Honor Guard will form in front of the Motherhouse at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. The wake is 9 a.m. Friday, with the Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent Church at Nazareth. Burial is in the Nazareth Cemetery.

Memorial donations may go to the Office of Mission Advancement, PO Box 9, Nazareth, Ky., 40048.

The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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