Sister Georgiann Marie Gregory Wildhaber

SISTER GEORGIANN (Marie Gregory) WILDHABER

Sister Georgiann Wildhaber, age 85, passed peacefully away at Trinity Trace Care Center, Covington, LA on October 17th.  She is survived by her older brother, Ellroy Wildhaber, Atlanta, GA., a nephew and nieces, their families, and a number of cousins.

The second child of Elizabeth (Stuesse) and George Wildhaber was born on February 22, 1940, in Beaufort, Missouri.  She was baptized on February 25, 1940, at St. Joseph Church, Neier, Missouri and named Georgiann Elizabeth.  She and her Father shared a birthday with George Washington!  When she was two years old, the family moved to Sullivan, Missouri where her father obtained employment as a rural mail carrier for the U. S. Post Office.  Georgiann delighted in going hunting and fishing with her Father but she also learned how to cook and care for the house from her Mother.  She was very close to her older brother, Ellroy.  For a number of years, she was essentially an only child as her brother was attending school in Pennsylvania.

Georgiann began elementary school at St. Anthony’s in Sullivan staffed by the Dominican Sisters.  The following year, the school was placed under the charge of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.  She attended    St. Francis Borgia High School, Washington, Missouri which was also staffed by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.  She wanted to go to the Aspiranture but her parents felt she should finish high school first. 

Georgiann entered the candidature at Sancta Maria in Ripa on August 29, 1957.  She was received into the novitiate on July 29, 1958, and given the name Marie Gregory.  She professed first vows on July 30, 1959, and final vows on July 30, 1965.  Later, she returned to her baptismal name. 

Sister Georgianne received a bachelor’s degree in history from the former Notre Dame College in St. Louis in 1962 and a master’s degree in elementary administration from St. Louis University in 1973.

Sister Georgiann taught for 10 years at St. Clare, St. Clair, Missouri and St. Bernadette, St. Louis, Missouri.

She was a principal for 11 years at Sacred Heart, Lawrence, Nebraska; St. Bernadette, St. Louis, Missouri;       St. Joseph, Manchester, Missouri.  She was principal and president at Notre Dame High School, St. Louis, Missouri, ministering there for 13 years. While serving at Notre Dame High School, she played on the SSND softball team.  The team competed in the St. Louis Senior Olympics in 2001 and 2002.

For 10 years, she ministered in adult education as a program director at Maria Center for Lifelong Learning on the campus of Sancta Maria in Ripa. In 2005, she was appointed administrator and facilities operation director at St. Mary of the Pines, Chatawa, Mississippi.  She arrived several days after Hurricane Katrina devastated many areas in the South.  She worked to rebuild the property damaged by the hurricane and upgrading the older structures.

After eight years and a period of ministry discernment, Sister Georgiann became an educational consultant to the elementary school principals in the diocese of Dallas, Texas and a driver for the SSND Office in Dallas. Beginning in 2014, she served as an educational resource person for Holy Family of Nazareth School and also for St. Philip and St. Augustine Academy.  She was a volunteer at Notre Dame School of Dallas and St. Rita Parish in Dallas.

In May 2022, Sister Georgiann was diagnosed with lung cancer.  She was missioned to St. Anthony’s Gardens, Covington, Louisiana in June 2023.   By May 2025, the cancer had spread to her spine and in August 2025, she was placed on hospice.  She passed away peacefully shortly after midnight on October 17, 2025, at Trinity Trace Community Care Center, Covington, as Sisters kept watch with her.  She chose to be cremated.

Sister Georgiann was an outstanding educator and excellent community member.  She enjoyed fishing, playing softball, cooking, gardening and visiting with friends and relatives.  May she now rejoice in her new life with her God whom she served so faithfully for 66 years.

A Prayer Service/Sharing of Memories begins Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 10:30 AM followed by a Memorial Mass at 11:00 AM at St. Anthony’s Gardens at 601 Holy Trinity Drive, Covington, LA., 70433.  Fr. Ronald Calkins will officiate.  Inurnment will follow at another date in St. Louis.

Arrangements are entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home of Covington, LA.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Sister Georgiann Marie Gregory Wildhaber, please visit our floral store.