Farewell, Dear Sister

Sister Rose Joseph Kennebeck, 1929-2018


Sister Rose Joseph Kennebeck, O.S.B., 88, of St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, died Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at the Monastery.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m. Friday, May 18, 2018 in the Chapel of St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island.

Visitation will be 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 17, at the Monastery, where a Christian wake service will be held at 7 p.m.  Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Rock Island.  Wheelan Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, Milan is assisting with arrangements.  Memorials may be made to St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island.

Rose Joseph Kennebeck was born on September 15, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of Dr. Joseph and Rose Redmond Kennebeck.  She attended Visitation Grade School, St. Teresa’s Academy and St. Teresa’s College – Kansas City, Missouri; Duchesne College – Omaha, Nebraska; St. Ambrose College – Davenport, Iowa and the University of Illinois – Champaign, Illinois.

Sister Rose Joseph entered the Benedictine community on August 15, 1948 and made her final profession as a Benedictine sister on June 24, 1953.  Her ministry after entering the Benedictine community included serving as a teacher at St. Boniface, Peoria, IL; St. Columbia, Chicago, IL; Immaculate Conception, Monmouth, IL; St. John, Clinton, IL; St. Mary’s, Moline, IL; St. Mary, Wenona, IL and St. Thomas More, Munster, IN.

She is survived by her Benedictine Sisters and many cousins.