Gloria Wiegand, BVM (Phyllis)
Gloria Wiegand, BVM (Phyllis) died Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, at Caritas Center in Dubuque, Iowa. Visitation will be from 9–11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015, in the Marian Hall Chapel followed by a prayer service at 11 a.m. Funeral liturgy will be at 1:30 p.m. Burial is in the Mount Carmel cemetery.
She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 10, 1925, to Lewis Frank and Henrietta Helen Walters Wiegand. She entered the BVM congregation Sept. 8, 1943, from Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago. She professed first vows on March 19, 1946, and final vows on Aug. 15, 1951.
Gloria was an elementary and secondary school teacher and principal in Council Bluffs and Des Moines, Iowa; Chicago; Tucson, Ariz.; St. Paul, Minn.; and San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carlsbad, Apple Valley, and Big Bear City, Calif.; where she also worked for the Bear Valley Unified School District.
She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Beverly and brother Lewis Frank, Jr. She is survived by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with whom she shared life for 71 years.
Sister Gloria Wiegand, BVM (Phyllis)
Funeral Welcome
Marian Hall Chapel, Sept. 1, 2015
Good afternoon and welcome to the celebration of life of our Sister Gloria Wiegand.
Gloria Henrietta was born on Sept. 10, 1925, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the second of three children born to Lewis Frank Wiegand and Henrietta Helen Walters. She and older sister, Beverly, later welcomed their younger brother Lewis. The family moved to Chicago in 1937, where Gloria attended Holy Name ES and Cathedral HS.
Gloria entered the congregation on Sept. 8, 1943, stating that she wished to become a Sister “because I like the life of your Sisters, and feel that it is the best way that I can fulfill my purpose of creation, along with guiding other souls on their way to Heaven.” She received the name Phyllis upon reception on March 19, 1944, professed first vows on March 19, 1946, and lived 71 years as a BVM.
Gloria was a quiet, gentle, kind woman with a calm, patient and balanced temperament that served her well during her 30 years in elementary education. She was missioned in Iowa at St. Francis Xavier in Council Bluffs and St. John and St. Ambrose in Des Moines, and in Chicago at Holy Family and Our Lady of Lourdes. She taught in California at St. Leo in San Jose, St. Brigid in San Francisco, St. Patrick in Carlsbad, St. Mary in Apple Valley, and Assumption in Los Angles. She also served as principal at Assumption and at All Saints in Tucson, Ariz. Gloria taught high school classes at Our Lady of Peace in St Paul, Minn., and at Big Bear School in Big Bear City, Calif. She worked an additional 18 years as a clerk and secretary in the superintendent’s office in the Bear Valley Unified School District. She also volunteered for over 25 years at St. Joseph Parish where it was evident that the parishioners loved her.
Gloria and Annette Petty had a very special friendship that began at Assumption in 1968. They cared deeply for each other and shared a genuine love of the mountains. Together they moved into the Petty family home in Fawnskin, Calif., near Big Bear Lake, to care for Annette’s mother and remained there after her mother’s death. While they treasured their dogs Honey and Panda and their solitude, they greatly desired to remain connected with the BVM community. They would travel down the mountain to Los Angeles to attend cluster meetings and welcomed BVM guests into their home, always inquiring about the latest community news.
Several years after moving to Fawnskin, Gloria and Annette were invited to go camping in the Tuolumne Meadows high above the Yosemite Valley in central California. Gloria fell in love with camping and they spent the next 10 years camping at Yosemite National Park, hiking every trail and visiting every cave. They also camped in numerous national parks throughout the West and Northwest and even completed a 7,000-mile tent camping trip around the United States. Eventually they transitioned into backpacking, carrying everything they needed on their backs and hiking for days. In 1986, Annette’s mother bought them a camper which was also used as a motel room when they visited other BVMs. The camper even served as the headquarters for a Southern California BVM meeting held on a beach. In May 1992, they celebrated Gloria’s golden jubilee by driving the camper up the Alaskan Highway to Fairbanks and then north to the Arctic Circle, encountering very few motor vehicles but seeing many wild animals.
Back home near Bear Lake, Annette and Gloria discovered that most of the people in the campgrounds were retired seasonal campers far away from family and often lonely. They listened to their stories, provided transport to the hospital when necessary, and hosted several big barbecue dinners every season. They called this their “camping ministry.”
In September 2009, Anne Kendall brought Gloria to Mount Carmel because of her declining health. Only a few months later, Annette herself came to Mount Carmel and died shortly thereafter from an aggressive cancer. For weeks, Gloria would say, “I’m just here for the weekend.” A sister present at her death commented, “What a long weekend!”
“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under heaven.” Gloria chose this reading from Ecclesiastes for her prayer service. It beautifully reflects her trust in God and the peacefulness born of that trust that allowed Gloria to keep her kind, gentle demeanor through her diminishing capabilities. When asked her name, she replied, “Gloria, gloria in excelsis Deo,” with a beautiful smile that greeted everyone, even during her last months when she rarely spoke.
A thank you written by Gloria for her 1993 golden jubilee applies well to this celebration of her life. She penned, “My deep gratitude goes to all those who assisted me with planning and preparing for this celebration, as well as those who participated in this liturgy. I am truly blessed to carry your generous love and support with me on my journey.” Gloria indeed carries our love and support on her journey into eternal life.