Sister Mary Laurana Grose, RSM

Sister Mary Laurana Grose died at Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland, CA, on April 3, 2018, at the age of 89. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Mary Patricia was the only child of William and Vinnie Grose. After her father’s death, she and her mother moved to Phoenix, AZ, where, after graduating from high school, her first job was at the veteran’s hospital. It was at this hospital that she was first attracted to nursing, and was encouraged to train at the School of Nursing at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix. After receiving her R.N., Mary Patricia joined the nursing staff at St. Joseph’s and it was here that she was received into the Catholic Church and also chose to become a member of the Sisters of Mercy, who staffed the hospital. She professed her vows in 1957, receiving the religious name of Sister Mary Laurana. For the next four years sister served as a nursing floor supervisor at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix before returning to San Francisco to earn a B.S. in nursing from the University of San Francisco. For the next ten years sister served at Mercy Hospital, Bakersfield, and then St John’s Hospital in Oxnard. She returned to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix where she served for a few years as nursing supervisor and then many years as chaplain. In later years she also cared for her mother in her mother’s declining years until her death. In addition to her service to hospital patients and care for her mother, sister was also known for her love of and care for animals. She had a gift for writing, and for some years wrote a regular column on the life and care of animals for the Arizona Republic. In 2012, after thirty-eight years of service in Phoenix, declining health made it necessary for sister to spend her remaining years at Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland. She will be remembered for her quiet, loving presence to her sisters in community, her friends, and her animals. Sister is survived her loving community of the Sisters of Mercy.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Marian Oaks in Burlingame on Friday, April 13 at 10:30 a.m. followed by burial at Holy Cross Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010.