Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis

Sister Jonette Devlin, O.S.F.

✝ Thursday, October 5th 2023

"Whatever you do, do from the heart...knowing that you will receive from the Lord
the due payment of the Inheritance."
Colossians 3:23

In the morning of October 5, 2023 our dear Sister Jonette Devlin returned her life to her Creator. Ora et Labora (pray and work) is a motto by which Sister Jonette Devlin lived. The work ethic she learned as a child along with that which she upheld throughout her ministry as a nurse and teacher were enriched by her spirituality and commitment to serving God. As her earthly journey ended at 8:04 a.m. on October 5, 2023, God's welcome into heaven must have included "Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23)."

Sister Jonette, the former Catherine Ann, was born in Springfield, IL, on June 17, 1927, the daughter of Francis and Anna (Unger) Devlin. She entered the Congregation on September 8, 1946, and professed her religious vows on June 13, 1949. She was a 1951 graduate of St. John's Hospital School of Nursing, and she earned a bachelor's degree in 1954 and a masters degree in nursing in 1971 from St. Louis University. She served as a nurse at St. John's Hospital beginning in 1952 and then her responsibilities expanded to include clinical instructor at St. John's Hospital School of Nursing from 1954-69, during which time she opened the first ICU on May 3, 1965.

When she received an assignment in February 1971 to St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay, WI, she expected to be there for a few months and then be reassigned. God had other plans since she served there for 42 years and 10 months (she rounded the number to 43 years) when she left in December 2013. While at St. Vincent Hospital, Sister Jonette served as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the three Critical Care Units and was responsible for teaching nurses in the adult Critical Care Units and throughout the hospital. She also taught at area programs and was a preceptor for students in master's programs in Wisconsin and Michigan. In the 1970s, she developed renal dialysis and organ donation programs while offering pacemaker clinics and blood pressure screenings and working with the National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin.

As a teacher, she wanted nurses to be their very best, and she reminded her nurses of the privilege of caring for God's children. Small in stature, Sister Jonette was blessed with energy and determination originating from working on her family's farm near Ashland, Illinois, and driving a tractor. Her Irish smile and sense of humor blossomed into her laugh, brightening the mood. Aside from her family, Sisters, coworkers, patients, and friends who were remembered in her prayers, the Green Bay Packers also received her prayers and support.

In recognition of her accomplishments in nursing, she received the Distinguished Alumna Award from St. John's College, Springfield, in 2014.

The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father Richard Chiola on Monday, October 9 at 10:30 a.m. in the St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel and burial will be in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery.

In Revelations 14:13 it is written that "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.. .let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them." May we find comfort in this assurance for Sister Jonette.