Posted November 27, 2018 in Obituaries

Educator and Pastoral Minister

In the span of her 53-year career, Sister Therese Demchock (formerly Sister M. Stephanie) engaged in many and varied ministries, from elementary school teacher and principal, to community administrator and transportation coordinator, and finally to parish and hospital minister. The same comfort and consolation she brought to the sick and dying was returned to her by her Ursuline sisters at Regina Health Center where Sister Therese died November 26.  She was 87.

Therese Marie Demchock was born November 17, 1931, in Cleveland, the youngest of three children of Louis and Alma (Cowell) Demchock. The Beaumont School graduate entered the Ursuline community in September 1949 from Our Lady of Peace Parish and professed final vows in August 1955. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in education from St. John College.

Sister Therese launched her ministry career as a primary grade teacher at St. Jerome School. Her other teaching assignments included St. Charles and St. Francis de Sales schools, both in Parma, St. Clare (Lyndhurst), St. Philomena (East Cleveland), and St. Timothy (Garfield Heights) where she also served two years as principal. In 1974 Sister Therese shifted her focus from the classroom to the parish, assuming pastoral minister duties at St. Philomena Parish and briefly at St. Joseph Parish in Collinwood.

Responding to a need within the Ursuline community Sister Therese left parish work to serve as the sisters’ transportation coordinator for eight years, after which she accepted her last formal assignment as pastoral minister at Hillcrest Hospital. She concluded her active career with a term as local coordinator of the motherhouse community, before devoting herself to the ministry of prayer.

Sister Therese will be remembered for her no-nonsense approach to life as well as for the compassion she extended to those in need. She was a faith-filled religious, a committed family member, and a loving sister and friend.

She was preceded in death by her sister Alice York, and her brother Louis. She is survived by several nieces.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Ursuline Sisters.

Funeral Services for Sister Therese

Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity

Ursuline Motherhouse, 2600 Lander Road

Wake Service: 4:00 p.m. Thursday, November 29

Funeral Mass: 7:00 PM Thursday

Burial Service: 9:30 AM Friday, November 30

Interment will follow at All Souls Cemetery, Chardon.