Townley, Sister Marian Jude SNJM

LATHAM — Sister Marian Jude Townley (Mary Theresa), a Sister of the Holy Names for over 70 years, died on April 29, 2022, at the Provincial House of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in Latham.

The daughter of the late Clarence Townley and Mary Quinn, Sister Marian Jude was born on December 28, 1927, in Binghamton, N.Y. She entered the Sisters of the Holy Names on July 24, 1950, and made her first profession of vows on August 22, 1952. She received a B.S. in biology from Barry University in Miami, Fla., and an M.T.S. in physics from Union College in Schenectady.

Her approachable and unflappable personality and exceptional command of the sciences made Sister Marian Jude a well-loved and effective educator. She taught in several schools in Tampa and Key West, Fla., and at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, but the centerpiece of her life was her dedicated ministry to the people of Lesotho, Africa. Sister Marian Jude served as both teacher and principal at St. Theresa’s School in Maputsoe, Lesotho. In her recent retirement, she resided at the Sisters of St. Joseph Provincial House in Latham, serving the sisters there as a coordinator of community life.

In keeping with her life of care and dedication to others, she donated her body Albany Medical College. A memorial service will take place at a later date.