Sr. Mary Jean Tague, Dc

MENANDS- Sister Mary Jean Tague,  DC passed away Wednesday September 25, 2024. Sister was born on January 3, 1937 in Syracuse, NY to Robert John Tague and Emma Elizabeth Kerwin Tague. She was the first of two daughters.

Sister met the Daughters of Charity during twelve years attending the Cathedral Academy in Syracuse. Following graduation, she entered the Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg, MD in 1955.

Sister’s years of service took her across the world. After two years of teaching in Greensboro NC, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy at St. John’s University in Jamaica, NY. She served in St. Mary’s Hospital, Troy, NY for four years before being sent to Bolivia to set up a pharmacy in our newly built hospital in Cochabamba, Bolivia in 1967. Her wonderful organizational skills proved a great asset in this work.

While serving in a small village, she realized the need for nursing skills. She returned to the States and earned her Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Rochester in NY. She returned to Bolivia for eleven more years. Her work took her to the shores of Lake Titicaca in the mountains of Bolivia.

Upon her return to the United States in 1984 she had a variety of nursing assignments in Brooklyn, NY; South Boston, MA; and Bridgeport, CT.

She received her Masters in Nursing in 1991 from Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY. Then in 1995, her superiors asked her to go to Angola, Africa, to help establish a clinic to serve people who were just recovering from a civil war.

She returned to the States in 1998 and served as nurse and local superior in Stamford, CT for nine years. From 2007- 2013, she developed and was Coordinator of the Parish Nurse Program in Bridgeport, CT. This program continues to this day.

Her final mission post was in Brownsville, Texas, at Proyecto Juan Diego, where she combined nursing skills and being moderator of a parish Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

In 2020 she came to St. Louise House in Albany, NY to serve in the ministry of prayer, which she did until her death.

In 2014 she received the Catholic Health Association Life Achievement Award in recognition of her life of service. Along with her professional skills, Sister Mary Jean had a magnetic personality that embraced all people. She was blessed with an extraordinary sense of humor and was a gifted photographer.

A wake service will be held for Sr. Mary Jean on Monday, September 30, 2024 at St. Louise House  from 4-7 pm in the DePaul Chapel, 96 Menand Rd. Menands. Sister’s funeral is Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 10:30 am in the DePaul Chapel followed by burial in St. Agnes Cemetery, Albany, NY.

Sister is survived by her many beloved cousins, her Sisters in Community and many friends. Donations may be made in her name to the Daughters of Charity, 4330 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63108.