LEAVENWORTH — Sister Mary Jo Coyle, 94, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth for 70 years, died May 19.
Born Mary Josephine (Jo) Coyle on Feb. 11, 1932, in Kansas City, Kansas, she was the daughter of Joseph Francis and Mary Agatha (née Ronayne) Coyle.
Mary Jo attended St. Mary’s Grade School and graduated from Bishop Ward High School in 1949, where she first encountered the care, guidance, and charism of the Sisters of Charity.
She continued her education at Saint Mary College in Leavenworth, where the Sisters again served as her teachers and mentors.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and math from Saint Mary College in 1953 and later received a master’s degree in physics from the University of Notre Dame in 1968.
Before entering religious life, she worked as an industrial chemist in Kansas City, Missouri.
She entered the Sisters of Charity community on Aug. 19, 1955, received the habit on Feb. 19, 1956, and was given the name Sister Paul Joseph. She later returned to her baptismal name.
For much of her ministry, Sister Mary Jo served in Catholic education as a teacher and administrator. She taught chemistry, physics and math at St. Pius X High School in North Kansas City, Missouri; Girls Central High School in Butte, Montana; Cathedral High School in Helena, Montana; Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas; and Hayden High School in Topeka.
She later served as principal at Immaculata High School in Leavenworth, Hayden High School, and LeBlond High School in St. Joseph, Missouri.
From 1985 to 1992, she taught at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
In 1966, she was named Outstanding Young Educator in Kansas City, Kansas, by the Junior Chamber of Commerce.
In the later years of her ministry, Sister Mary Jo devoted herself to housing and repair ministries serving older adults, people with disabilities, and families in need.
One of the ministries closest to her heart was Christmas in October, where she helped organize and lead volunteer home-repair projects for people in need.
In 1988, Sister Mary Jo traveled to Georgia to work on Habitat for Humanity’s Carter Work Project alongside former President Jimmy Carter. She later served with the Denver Archdiocesan Housing Committee in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, coordinated operations for Wyandotte Mental Health, secured and helped lead the Senior Housing Assistance Repair Project (SHARP), and assisted with maintenance work for convents and individuals in need.
She also loved dogs and always had one or two rescue dogs by her side. She often mentioned that her goal in life was “to be the kind of person my dogs think I am.”
