Sister Mary Ann Busovicki, OSF

February 4, 1941 - January 13, 2004

Sister Mary Ann Busovicki, a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis, died on January 13, 2004, in Pittsburgh, Pa. Formerly known as Sister Blanche, she was 62 in her 46th year of religious life.

She was born to John and Blanche (Cernik) Busovicki on February 4, 1941, in Clymer, Pa. She entered the community in 1957 and received the name Sister Blanche, professing first vows in 1958 and final vows in 1963.

Sister Mary Ann held a bachelor’s degree in education from Carlow College in Pittsburgh, Pa., and a master’s degree in education from Duquesne University, also in Pittsburgh. She also earned a professional certification in driver’s education in 1976.

Over two decades as a teacher, Sister served at Catholic grade schools in the Pennsylvania towns of Ellsworth, McKees Rocks, Barnesboro, Erie, Canonsburg, Russellton, Perryopolis and Pittsburgh’s North Side, as well as in San Antonio, Texas. In the 1970s, she taught math, science and health at our former Mount Assisi Academy in Pittsburgh and St. Francis Academy in San Antonio. Sister also served as principal of St. Gabriel School in Pittsburgh and St. John the Baptist School in Perryopolis and, from 1979 to 1981, worked at Duquesne University.

Sister Mary Ann served our community as provincial treasurer, maintenance director, property coordinator and development director. In addition to representing our Sisters at several Provincial Chapters in the 1980s, she also worked as a caregiver and supervisor at Marian Hall Home, our former sponsored ministry for the elderly.

Remembered as a good friend who never took lightly a request for help, Sister Mary Ann was dedicated to helping her students with difficulties get the help they needed to achieve success. “Being a mathematician, numbers and statistics were her interest,” one Sister recalls. “Not only did this talent come in handy as provincial treasurer and maintenance supervisor, but it played out in her dealings with others.  She became a good listener because she wanted to know the facts of what you were discussing.”

Sister’s love of family and family history also is among her lasting legacies. “She was instrumental in helping me find the ship manifests for all our Pioneer Sisters who came to America via Ellis Island, as well as information on my own family,” says Sister Roselyn Kuzma.

Whether teaching others to drive, sharing her knowledge for the better of her students, or simply being a friend to her Sisters in community, Sister Mary Ann is remembered as “a great gift to our community in many ways.” As one Sister says, “She was a rather private person, but deeply spiritual and had to be one of the most conscientious people I have ever known.”

Sister Mary Ann is buried in St. Francis Cemetery at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh, Pa.