 |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
October
9, 2006
VOL.
44, NO. 17Oakland,
CA
OBITUARIES
Sister
Estelle Meiers, PBVM
Sister Estelle Meiers, a longtime educator, who taught at two elementary
schools in the Oakland Diocese, died Sept. 18 in San Francisco. She was
82 and had been a Sister of the Presentation for 65 years.
Sister Meiers, formerly known as Sister Mary Arthur, was born in Tacoma,
Washington. She earned her bachelor’s of science degree in education
at the University of San Francisco and taught in elementary schools from
1943 – 1971. In the Oakland Diocese she taught at St. Columba School
in Oakland and at St. Joseph School in Berkeley. She also taught in San
Francisco, San Jose, San Pedro and Menlo Park.
She also worked as a cook, including 13 years at Presentation Retreat
Center in Los Gatos and at the Presentation Motherhouse in San Francisco.
In recent years she had been living at the community’s Care Center
where she continued a ministry of prayer for the needs of the world.
The funeral Mass was held Sept. 21 at the Motherhouse in San Francisco.
Burial took place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma. Memorial gifts in her
memory may be made to the Sisters of the Presentation, Development Office,
281 Masonic Ave., San Francisco, CA 94118.
Brother
Robert Smith, FSC
Brother Robert Smith, a longtime educator, who helped found the Integral
Program at St. Mary’s College in Moraga 50 years ago, died Sept.
12 at Mont La Salle in Napa. He was 92 and had been a Christian Brother
for more than 75 years.
Born in Roundup, Montana, he grew up in Oakland and received the religious
habit of the Christian Brothers in the San Francisco District in 1931.
The following year he helped the community move their winery operations
from Martinez to Napa. He taught at Christian Brothers High School in
Sacramento before joining the faculty at St. Mary’s College in 1941.
Brother Smith, who devoted his career to the seminar-style approach to
learning, had an instrumental role in establishing the Integral Program
of liberal arts studies at St. Mary’s in 1956. He led the four-year
Great Books curriculum until 1972 when he moved to Maryland to teach at
St. John’s College. He taught at the Annapolis-based college for
34 years. He moved to Mont La Salle over the summer.
The funeral Mass was held Sept. 16 at St. Mary’s College. Burial
took place the following day in the Christian Brothers cemetery at Mont
La Salle.
Katherine
(Kay) Fleischer
Members of St. Ignatius Parish in Antioch gathered Sept. 20 to honor and
celebrate the life of Katherine (Kay) Fleischer, wife of Deacon Alfred
Fleischer, who died Sept. 13 at the age of 80.
She was married for 58 years to Alfred Fleischer, who was ordained to
the permanent diaconate in 1987. The couple raised four children, including
two sons who predeceased her.
She was actively involved in the deacon community as a member of the deacon
personnel board for many years and served in the deacon formation program.
She was also known for her pastoral skills in parish communities, said
Deacon Dave Rezendes, director of deacon personnel.
She was a “great support” to her husband who had been involved
in grief ministry and served at St. Ignatius Parish, said Rezendes. “She
was very proud to be the wife of a deacon.”
