Shirley Kocinsky, SCN, 76, of Louisville, died March 19, 2026 in Louisville. She was born Aug. 16, 1949, in Pittsburgh, Pa., to Michael Kocinsky and Agnes Senn.
She entered the Vincentian Sisters of Charity VSC as a postulant in 1967. In 2008, she transferred her vows when the Vincentian Sisters of Charity merged with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
She was firstborn of four children. Her family lived in Southside, an area of Pittsburgh with a beautiful panoramic view of downtown. Her mother Agnes worked part-time in various positions. Her father Michael worked in the steel mills. Education was important to her parents, and they worked hard to provide opportunities for their children. She attended St. Matthew’s Grade School and then spent her next four years of high school as an aspirant at Vincentian Academy in North Hills, Pa. In 1967, after graduation, Shirley made the choice to enter the Vincentian Sisters of Charity.
During her two-year novitiate, she attended LaRoche College in Pennsylvania. Once she left the novitiate, in 1972, she went to Mercy Hospital School of Nursing where she obtained a diploma as a registered nurse. She later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from LaRoche College.
Her first mission was St. Vincent Hospital in Monett, Mo. At the time, St. Vincent had 78 beds with the sisters living on the top floor of the hospital. As part of the labor and delivery nursing team of St. Vincent Hospital in Monett, Mo., she assisted with more than 1,100 deliveries. She also worked at St Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa.
She served her VSC community as the infirmarian at the Motherhouse in Pittsburgh in 1974 and later from 1995-2008. For the next 10 years until her retirement, she worked for the Vincentian Child Care Center in Pittsburgh. As receptionist she delighted in giving the children a sweet treat as they went home each evening. Once retired, she lived with her religious community at St. Louise Convent in Pittsburgh for a few years before moving to Nazareth.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and one brother, Michael J. Kocinsky.
She is survived by two sisters, Carol Devine and Michele Conway; several nieces and nephews; and her SCN Community.
The Funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at St. Vincent de Paul Church at Nazareth. Burial is in the Nazareth Cemetery.
Visitation starts at 4 p.m. Monday, March 30, 2026, at the church with a 6:30 p.m. wake.
Memorial donations may be sent 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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