Sister Joan McKeon, 87

Sister Joan McKeon, formerly Sister Mary Estelle, age 87, died peacefully on May 11 at McAuley Hall Health Care Center in Watchung, New Jersey. Sister Joan celebrated 70 years as a Mercy Sister this year, saying, “I can only give thanks to God for coming into my life and ‘sending me forth’ to many parts of the world, meeting so many beautiful people, and being the recipient of many profound experiences.”

The daughter of James and Estelle Jacoby McKeon, both now deceased, Sister Joan was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Camden. She attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and Camden Catholic High School.

Following graduation from high school, she entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1954. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgian Court College, now University, and her master’s degree in English and English as a Second Language, from Kean College, Union.

Sister Joan’s early years were as an elementary teacher in St. Mary School, South Amboy; St. Joseph School, Bound Brook; St. John School, Paulsboro, and then as a high school teacher at Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville. She later moved to Mount St. Mary Academy in Watchung, to serve as the director of admissions.

Sister Joan said, “In this capacity, I met many boarding students whose homes were in South America or Asia. Here is where I began my interest in all things Asian.” It was this interest that led her to become an ESL teacher and to pursue the opportunity to work with refugees, which she did as a member of the Camden Diocesan Resettlement Staff.

After spending a year as an ESL teacher at the Jesuit Refugee School in Thailand, she returned to Mount St. Mary Academy as Director of Admissions, and then spent eight years as an ESL teacher in Jersey City.

Sister Joan spent her final years at McAuley Hall Health Care Center in Watchung. She lived and died faithful to the motto she chose at her profession: Dieu Seul Suffi (God Alone Suffices).

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated May 18 with burial in Holy Redeemer Cemetery, South Plainfield.

Memorial donations may be made to Sisters of Mercy, 1645 US Highway 22, Watchung, NJ 07069