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Sister Margaret Ball, SNJM
Sister Stephan Joseph
August 17, 1930 – June 15, 2026
Sister Margaret Ball, SNJM departed this life on June 15, 2026 in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Sister Margaret celebrated 95 years of life and 74 years of her religious profession.
A Mass of Resurrection will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2026, in the Chapel of the Holy Names in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Her burial will follow at Holy Names Cemetery in Marylhurst, Oregon.
Sister Margaret Ball, SNJM
Sister Stephan Joseph
August 17, 1930 – June 15, 2026
Sister Margaret Ball, SNJM, 95, died on June 15 in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Mass of Resurrection is Thursday, August 6 at 11 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Names, Marylhurst, Oregon, south of Lake Oswego. Burial follows at Holy Names Cemetery nearby.
Margaret, an enrolled member and tribal elder of the Modoc tribe, lost her mother Margaret when she was 6 and her brother Joe was 4. Her aunt and uncle Joseph S. and Evelyn Ball adopted Margaret and Joe, raising them near the Klamath Modoc Reservation in Southern Oregon. When Margaret was 12, they moved to Portland.
Margaret graduated from St. Mary’s Academy, where she met the Holy Names Sisters as a boarder. After two years at Marylhurst College, in 1950 she entered the Sisters’ Novitiate, eventually receiving the religious name Sister Mary Stephan Joseph.
Margaret was a teacher all her life. She studied violin as a child and when she began her teaching career as a Holy Names Sister taught music, primarily piano, for eight years. She transitioned to classroom teaching first with 4- and 5-year olds at Blessed Martin Day Nursery in downtown Portland followed by twelve years as a primary teacher in Holy Names schools in Medford, Salem, Coos Bay, Cottage Grove and Portland. Over time Margaret completed a Bachelor in Music and a Bachelor of Science in Education at Marylhurst College and a Master of Education (Christian Ministries) at Fort Wright College in Spokane.
In 1971 Margaret moved into Native American ministry. She spent eight years as a Jesuit Volunteer, pastoral minister and third-grade teacher on the Colville Reservation.
At that point Margaret stepped away from the Holy Names Sisters for four years as she reassessed life. This was a time of healing, renewal and reclaiming her heritage. During this time she lived with Paiute relatives in Nevada, working with the Native American community. She also became a certified EMT.
Rejoining the SNJM Community in 1985, Margaret began a nearly 20-year ministry to the Yakama Nation, with her home base in Toppenish, Washington.
In 2002, she moved to Portland then to Marylhurst because of health concerns. At Mary’s Woods retirement community where she resided, Margaret took part in activities, including the drumming group. Throughout her life, she remained active in the Rose City Kateri Circle, Native Elders, NARA and the Native Religious and Clergy Group.
Margaret will be remembered for her kindness, her deep desire to serve, her inner strength and her gentle heart. She was a deep listener and as an elder she had much to share. She enjoyed sharing her heritage with others, but was careful as to how and when she shared that treasure. She enjoyed community gatherings, music, travel, time in the natural world, animals and her family and friends.
A Holy Names Sister for 73 years, Margaret is survived by her nephew Jon Ball, her nieces Jackie Ball and Kimberlee Ball Buckingham and her religious community. Remembrances may be made to Sisters of the Holy Names, PO Box 398, Marylhurst, OR 97036 or online at www.snjmusontario.org/donate.