Sister Patricia (Frederick Mary) Nolan, BVM
Sister Patricia Nolan, BVM, (Frederick Mary), 88, of Mount Carmel Bluffs, Dubuque, Iowa, died Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, at MercyOne Medical Center.
Visitation, Sharing of Memories and Mass of Christian Burial were on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. Burial was in the Mount Carmel Cemetery.
Sister Pat served as an English instructor and department chair at Clarke University, an English teacher at Wahlert High School, and a volunteer instructor at the Roberta Kuhn Center, all in Dubuque, Iowa. She also taught at Columbus High School in Waterloo, Iowa, and The Immaculata High School in Chicago.
She was born on June 30, 1937, in St Paul, Minn., to Frederick and Dorothy (Johnston) Nolan. She entered the BVM congregation Sept. 8, 1955, from St Therese Parish, St. Paul, Minn. She professed first vows on Feb. 3, 1958, and final vows on July 16, 1963.
“A colleague commented, ‘I admire Pat’s passion and interest in students and education. . . I admire her generosity of time, energy and spirit which she shares with all.’ Another shared, ‘Pat breathes life into all her relationships – those with friends, colleagues and students. She embodies “spirtus,” the Latin word for the breath of life.’ A third added, I once read Pat’s teaching philosophy. It was the word ‘Love.’ She believes she should try to love all her students. ‘: (Eulogy, Mary Frances Clarke Chapel, Aug. 19, 2025.)
She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings Sister Margaret “Peggy” Nolan, BVM, and Rev. Timothy F. Nolan. She is survived by her sister Sister Mary Nolan, BVM, and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 69 years.
Watch Memorial Mass and Sharing of Memories Download Eulogy Download Sharing of Memories
God bless you Aunt Pat! So happy you are now in heaven with Fred, Dot, Tim and Peggy. Thank you for all the great work you did for those in need! What a wonderful example you set! May you rest in peace, but knowing you, you will have a party with all your family, friends, Jesus and the saints!
Pat was the head of the English Dept when I studied at Clarke and had taught my older siblings at Wahlert HS. One of the kindest and empathetic teachers I ever had.
Pat Nolan (Sister Frederick Mary) was 24 when she was my Freshman English teacher at Immaculata High School. It does not surprise me that she later taught English at Clark University. She was a very good teacher, giving us an essay to write every week and correcting it. (There must have been 150 essays she corrected every week.) This was in addition to the literature we needed to read. I asked for help to write better which she provided. I saw her at Mount Carmel when I was there for another event. She was 80 at the time and I was 70. She remembered me, where I sat in class, and some comments I made. I was amazed at her memory. I am so indebted to her and all the wonderful high school teachers who taught me.
I met Pat when I audited a short story class at Clarke. As the two “elders” in the class we related to such things as “housedresses” and events surrounding World War II. She was an outstanding teacher, and I loved the class–so much so that when I saw she was teaching “Poetry” and later “Short Stories” at Roberta Kuhn, I immediately signed up and enjoyed at least 2-3 years of each. There was such a great feel of community and acceptance in those classes that I remember nearly all the people who were there–where they sat, their insights, their writings. Those poems or brief stories were not required but many participants were inspired by Pat to share. I also remember some great discussions (usually after class) about religion and spirituality. She was a kind and wonderful woman.
Pat was my Advanced Writing instructor at Clarke. Her methods of teaching and the way she interacted with her students definitely affected the way I taught writing throughout my teaching career. How fun to encounter Pat again after I left the classroom and began work at Mt Carmel directing the Roberta Kuhn Center. Pat was a popular instructor, and her classes filled to the limit each semester. I usually called her during registration asking/begging her to take a few more past her limit because I knew how much her class meant to her students. Pat was smart, witty, sincere, and hilarious. Rest in peace mentor, friend, colleague…until we meet again.
Sr. Pat brought joy and laughter everywhere she went! She was always an encourager, helping students to be better versions of themselves. On January 22, 1986, I wrote in my journal words she had shared with me that day: “Go out on a limb, take a risk, and just jump!”
Rest in poetic peace, Sr. Pat.
I met Sister Pat when I took her Short Fiction class as a junior at Clarke. While I had been an avid reader entering the course, she taught me how to simultaneously love and critique writing— how breaking down the structure of narrative, of the mechanics, could aid my understanding of why I enjoyed some writers more than others. She also had such a love for all of us in the course that shone through her teaching and her interactions with us. I left that course a better reader, a better writer, a better human. Rest easy, Sister Pat.
Sr. Pat Nolan was my Cornerstone teacher during my freshman year at Clarke in fall 2008. Although I was raised Catholic for most of my early life, I had never attended a Catholic school. It was really cool to have a nun for a teacher, even though they didn’t wear the habit I saw in so many movies 😉
I remember one of the first major assignments was our “This I Believe” essays. She really took interest in my thesis and encouraged me in ways I hadn’t previously encountered. This was a very powerful moment for me, and I’m grateful for the confidence she instilled in me as I began my time at Clarke. I can also recall Sr. Pat’s frustration with our class because so many didn’t know how to properly use “it’s” and “its” in our writing. We may have been the class that hastened Sr. Pat’s retirement plans!
God Bless Sr. Pat and all the other women who consecrated their lives to Christ and devoted their lives to serving students. May eternal rest be granted unto thee.
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
Travis