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Sister Judy Bertoli, SNJM
(Sister Thea Mary)
August 12, 1932 – March 29, 2024
Sister Judy Bertoli, SNJM departed this life on March 29, 2024 at Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Sister Judy celebrated 91 years of life and 69 years of her religious profession.
A Mass of Resurrection was held Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at the Chapel of the Holy Names in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Burial followed at Holy Names Cemetery in Marylhurst, Oregon.
Sister Judy Bertoli, sowing the seeds of hospitality and welcome at Rose Haven.
Sister Judy Bertoli, SNJM
August 12, 1932 – March 29, 2024
Sister Judy Bertoli, SNJM, 91, died on March 29 at Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego. Mass of Resurrection will be Thursday, April 11, 11am, Chapel of the Holy Names at Marylhurst. Burial follows at Holy Names Cemetery.
Judy came to Portland with her family in her early teens from Detroit, Michigan. Her father Christopher knew the Holy Names Sisters as a pupil attending their school, St. Joachim’s, in Detroit. He immediately recognized the Sisters’ habit and was delighted that his daughters could attend St. Mary’s Academy in downtown Portland.
Responding to the call of the spirit, Judy made the decision to enter the Sisters of the Holy Names in 1952, eventually receiving the religious name Sister Thea Mary. She was preceded into the novitiate at Marylhurst by her sister, Mary.
Sister Judy’s life as a Holy Names Sister did not follow the path she might have expected. She imagined that she would spend many years in the classroom, but after teaching for just one year she was assigned as administrative secretary to the Oregon Provincial for the next 10 years where her skills and quiet efficiency were put to great use.
Sister Judy went on to many works in many places, some as far away as Africa, where she served on the provincial staff of the Holy Names Sisters in Lesotho. She spent i10 years at St. Mary’s Academy, Portland, where she was a highly valued English teacher.
Again, Sister Judy was called from the classroom to take on duties for the Community, when she was asked to serve as Vocation Director for Oregon and as Novice Director, responsible for guiding young women in training to become a Sister of the Holy Names. Later she became a staff member of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO), a statewide association of Christian, ecumenical and interfaith partners working together to improve the lives of Oregonians.
For a third time, Sister Judy was asked to work for the Sisters. During this time, she was instrumental in helping to orchestrate the move of the Sisters residing at the Provincial House to and from Loyola Retreat House in Southeast Portland necessitated by the construction of Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst.
All these experiences led Sister Judy to support causes that help those who suffer from oppression and violence worldwide. Her presence with other women, Women in Black for Peace, standing for one hour in silent vigil in a downtown Portland park each Friday, was a visible expression of her support. She also helped care for her Aunt and volunteered for many years at Rose Haven, a center for women who have suffered abuse and homelessness.
Sister Judy moved to Forest Grove where she supported Sister Barbara Raymond in her ministry with Latina women at Adelante Mujeres, even while continuing her ministry of presence at Rose Haven taking the bus into Portland every week. She said, “Perhaps the best thing I do is to listen and be present to women in need.”
In 2018 she moved to Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst joining the resident community there and her older sibling Sister Mary Bertoli.
Sister Judy will be remembered as a woman of great wisdom, accepting and embracing the many people, cultures, conditions, and languages that came into her life. She valued silence but happily entered celebrations and she loved to laugh. Judy loved good literature, good conversation, and good ice cream. She was devoted to the Holy Names Community, excited by the vision of Pope Francis, and deeply connected to our loving God.
A Holy Names Sister for 69 years, Sister Judy is survived by her siblings, Jean Galluzzo, Lois Conroy, and Holy Names Sister Mary Bertoli, and the members of her religious community. Remembrances may be made to the Sisters of the Holy Names, PO Box 398, Marylhurst, OR 97036 or online at www.snjmusontario.org/donate.