Sr. Clarise Winter CSJ

Mary Josephine Winter was born on April 27, 1925, the first of six children in the family of Emma and Daniel Winter in Winamac, Indiana. The Winters were members of St. Peter’s Church in Winamac where Mary was baptized and went to the parish school staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Tipton, Indiana on June 8, 1939. The following year she received the habit and was given the name, Sister Clarise. She pronounced her final vows on July 2, 1946.

Fondly referred to as Sister Clare, she graduated from Good Samaritan School of Nursing, Kokomo, Indiana, continued to build her nursing credentials at Indiana University, and eventually served as Vice-President of Nursing and Mission/Ministry Coordinator at St. Joseph Hospital, Kokomo. During her 48 years at the hospital, she served on numerous committees to advance compassionate care internally and extend it to the greater Kokomo community. She spent many years and volunteer hours at Clinic of Hope, a medical center in Kokomo, established to serve those in desperate need of health services. She was instrumental in hiring staff and procuring funding for the clinic which reflected Sister Clare’s own attention to the poor, the hidden, the ones in greatest need of compassion.

In addition to her healthcare responsibilities, Sister Clare continually served in various ways with the Sisters of St. Joseph. Everyone was touched by her healing presence to both the body and the soul. She always found time to bake and prepare meals to share with others while offering them a tender heart and a listening ear. She was a gifted woman in the kitchen of life.

From eternity, Sister Clare continues to challenge us to honor her with service to the neighbor living right next door, those we pass everywhere we go, those in pain, those who are alone, those who may be too busy, the ones who don’t know what they are looking for … and to do it simply with love and a listening heart.

May She Rest In Peace!