Sister Mary Doreen

Sister Mary Doreen               ND 4382                PDF Download

Dorothy Beatrice STRAHLER

(natural sister of Sister Merita)

Immaculate Conception Province, USA

Date and Place of Birth:              March 23, 1929     Suffield, Ohio
Date and Place of Profession:    August 16, 1949    Cleveland, Ohio
Date and Place of Death:            October 7, 2020    Health Care Center, Chardon, Ohio
Date and Place of Burial:            October 13, 2020  Resurrection Cemetery, Chardon, Ohio

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep…and mine know me.”

Dorothy was the fifth of the eight children born to Raymond and Stella (Oakes) Strahler. Her parents had loving, joy-filled hearts and deep faith. “My parents were for me examples of service to the Church. I wished to dedicate my life in service also.” She and her siblings grew up on the family’s large farm in Randolph, Ohio. Helping their parents care for the animals and vegetable gardens, learning to love the land and sharing fun times together nurtured and strengthened family bonds. Dorothy attended St. Joseph Elementary School and met the Sisters of Notre Dame.

“I was attracted to religious life by the joy and peace that radiated from the sisters whom I knew as my teachers.” After graduation from eighth grade, she entered Notre Dame Academy in Cleveland as an aspirant and became a postulant on February 2, 1947. At investment she received the name Sister Mary Doreen.

Sister received a bachelor’s degree from St. John College in Cleveland, Ohio, and a master’s degree in administration from St. Xavier College in Chicago, Illinois. Her ministry in the field of education spanned more than forty years. Teaching assignments included each of the elementary grades, often two grades in one room. Sister was a principal for twelve years, frequently teaching a class at the same time! She was an excellent teacher, principal, resource person, tutor and mentor, gifted with an inherent sense of the dignity and the lovableness of each person.

Sister Mary Doreen radiated a sense of peace through her words and pleasant disposition. She was an outstanding SND community woman, serving her sisters as superior of local houses for thirty-nine years. In 2002 Sister moved to the provincial center and assisted with arranging transportation for sisters’ appointments and visits. She was down-to-earth and even-tempered, calm, yet energetic in a quiet way. Gardening, picking berries and crafting cross stitch and embroidery pieces, many earning best of show ribbons at the county fair, were hobbies she spent many hours enjoying and sharing with others.

At the age of ten, Sister Mary Doreen had discovered the world of poetry. Her love for creation provided nourishment for her soul. She used her rich imagination and insight into life to compose more than 300 poems, some earning recognition from national organizations. Many were prayer-poems; others expressed humor, wisdom and personal growth.

In July 2018 Sister Mary Doreen moved to Notre Dame Village Assisted Living in Chardon. Even with the onset of dementia she met daily challenges with a quiet grace and graciousness. She faced this part of her life’s journey with trust and surrender. Sister Mary Doreen was a prayerful woman whose gentle spirit and simple manner of life revealed her love for God and her reverence for others.

May she rest in peace.