Obituary: Ward, Sister Mary Bridget (M. Bridget Ann), Snjm
Age 90
She was the fifth of seven children, all born in Seattle.
She graduated from St. Benedict’s Elementary School, Lincoln High School, attended Seattle College and earned her B.A.
in English Literature from Marylhurst College and an M.A.
in Guidance from College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Even in high school, Mary Bridget’s leadership qualities were recognized, as was her enjoyment of sports, which later transferred to her being an avid sports fan!
Before entering religious life, she worked as a comptometer operator and as an assistant to Rev.
Gerald Beezer, SJ, at the bookstore at Seattle University.
Mary Bridget joined the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in 1950, pronouncing her vows in 1952 as Sister M. Bridget Ann.
She taught in secondary schools operated by the Holy Names Sisters in Portland, Seattle, Astoria and Spokane.
She moved to teaching at the college level in 1971 at Fort Wright College in Spokane, then to Campus Ministry at Eastern Washington State University in Cheney in 1977.
By 1981, she began working as a Parish Minister in the Outreach Program at All Saints Parish in Puyallup, WA, then to All Saints’ and St. Andrew’s in Sumner and St. Cosmos and Damian in Orting in 1985.
In 1990, she offered her services in Jonestown, MS with other members of her community, a ministry she enjoyed until 1995.
She returned to Spokane to be available as a counsellor in the intercommunity ministry of Transitions, especially Miryam’s House and Women’s Hearth.
Although her ability to be as active physically waned over the last years, her spirit never did, and she visited the Women at the Hearth even in the last weeks of her life.
When she was unable to be present to them face to face, she was busy inviting others to collect needed items for the women.
When asked to name her special interests, she said, “People.”
When asked about her skills, she said, “People.”
Former students found her to be open to listening to them, offering appropriate bits of wisdom, genuinely conveying her love and respect for them, and they continue to honor her to this day.
She shared her Irish heritage, of which she was very proud, through her wit and her story-telling ability—gifts she was still attempting to share just days before she crossed the bridge into her next life.
Sister Mary Bridget is survived by her brother Dennis (Dale) Ward, sister-in-law Cam Ward, and three generation of her beloved nieces and nephews, as well as her religious Sisters of the Holy Names.
Sister Mary Bridget Ward died February 23, 2015, at Harbor Crest Senior Living Community in Spokane, WA.
Mass of Christian Burial will at 10 AM on Monday, March 2, at Convent of the Holy Names.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Sisters of the Holy Names Retirement Fund, 2911 West Fort Wright Drive, Spokane, WA 99224.
Arrangements have been entrusted to: