Memorials › Sr Elizabeth Kay "Rose Angela" Willenborg

Sr Elizabeth Kay "Rose Angela" Willenborg

17 Nov 1940 – 13 Jan 2016

Birth17 Nov 1940
Death13 Jan 2016
CemeterySisters of Charity Cemetery
Cincinnati , Hamilton County , Ohio , USA
Added bySr. Joyce Brehm on 21 Jun 2024
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/179091135

Bio

Elizabeth Kay Willenborg, Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio Elizabeth Kay Willenborg (formerly Sister Rose Angela), 75, of Delhi Township died Jan. 13, 2016 in Mother Margaret Hall, the nursing facility of the Sisters of Charity. She was a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati for 56 years. Sister Kay earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the College of Mount St. Joseph in 1965. She earned a master's in counseling from Xavier University, Cincinnati, in 1974 and a Master of Arts in theology from the School of Christian Theology, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1984. Survived by sister Penny Willenborg; brother Terry Cluster. Preceded in death by parents Edward L. Willenborg and Arline (Cook) Willenborg Custer. Visitation for Sister Elizabeth Kay Willenborg was held Jan. 21 in the Heritage Room of the Sisters of Charity followed by the Mass of Christian Burial in the Motherhouse Chapel. Burial in the Sisters of Charity cemetery. Memorials in Sister Elizabeth Kay Willenborg's name to the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Retirement Fund, 5900 Delhi Road, Mount St. Joseph, Ohio 45041. Delhi-Price Hill Press, March 2, 2016, Pg 7B ===================================== DELHI TOWNSHIP, OHIO – Jan. 20, 2016– Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Elizabeth Kay Willenborg (formerly Sister Rose Angela) died Jan. 13, 2016, at the age of 75 in Mother Margaret Hall, the nursing facility of the Sisters of Charity. Sister Elizabeth Kay was born on Nov. 17, 1940, to Edward L. and Arline (Custer) Willenborg in Wichita Falls, Texas. She was a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati for 56 years. Sister Kay attended school in Wichita Falls before moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the age of 10, graduating from Albuquerque High School in 1958. Most of her classmates growing up were Hispanic and Native American and Catholic. She felt that they had something she didn't, and it became clear to her that it was Catholicism that made the difference. The following summer she took instructions and became a practicing Catholic. Sister Kay enrolled in the Regina School of Nursing in Albuquerque, staffed by the Sisters of Charity after high school. Gradually she felt drawn to the Sisters spirit of prayer and their humanness. She read about the life of Elizabeth Ann Seton and could relate to her conversion, love of children and loss. S. Kay entered the Sisters of Charity in the fall of 1959 before her second year of nursing. Sister Kay earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the College of Mount St. Joseph in 1965. She earned a master's in counseling from Xavier University, Cincinnati, in 1974 and a Master of Arts in theology from the School of Christian Theology, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1984. Sister Kay began her nursing ministry at Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1964, followed by eight years at Good Samaritan, Dayton, Ohio, as head nurse, 1965-'73. She remained at Good Samaritan, Dayton for three additional years, but serving in the pastoral care area, an interest that would be followed in future ministries. She did an internship in chaplaincy at Kettering Hospital, Dayton and Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, 1976-'79 and then served as chaplain at Kettering Hospital followed by a similar position at St. Joseph Hospital, Mt. Clemens, Michigan, 1981-'85. Sister Kay served there an additional 10 years, 1985-'95, directing the chaplaincy program and the mission effectiveness programs. It was in 1995 with the strong pull to be among the poor that Sister Kay looked to the public health needs of the Macomb County, Michigan, women and children. She provided home and school nursing services to high-risk pregnant mothers and their infants, working from the Public Health Department in Warren, Michigan. She also helped to coordinate Early On services, a statewide program to detect infant development delays and impairments in children. As her health affected her energy level Sister Kay became semi-retired in 2007; she worked as a nurse in "Neighbors Caring for Neighbors," a voluntary clinic for the poor and uninsured. In her autobiography she wrote: "The Jesus I meet today lives under the Mt. Clemens bridges in cardboard shelters and have nothing. Many have been released from prison or destroyed by drugs." In those same years she also completed a two-year internship in spiritual direction at Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Detroit, Michigan. Sister Jo Ann Martini recalls how Sister Kay loved to help people: "Kay was a compassionate person. After leaving hospital ministry she loved working as a public health nurse. Later, the spiritual direction training complemented the caring she had previously offered to others as a nurse. She did this as long as she was physically able. I will miss her," she said. Sister Karen Hawver saw her friend as gentle, brilliant, humble, kind and loving. "Kay accepted her many infirmities just like the people she nursed and understood for so many years," she said. "I enjoyed being her liaison Sister because she shared her personal self with me. I was privileged to know her and to learn from her. Rest in peace, Kay. You are now with God." Sister Kay is survived by her sister, Penny Willenborg, and brother, Terry Cluster. Visitation for Sister Elizabeth Kay Willenborg will be held on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 from 2-3 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Sisters of Charity followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 3 p.m. in the Motherhouse Chapel. Burial will be in the Sisters of Charity cemetery.

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