CHARLESTON — Sister M. deNeri Faase of the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy died at May Forest, the motherhouse, on Aug. 3. She was 101.
The Mass of Christian Burial was held Aug. 6 at May Forest on James Island. The Rite of Committal was at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Sister deNeri was born Elizabeth G. Faase, the daughter of Albert and Elizabeth Lennon Faase, on Jan. 25, 1908, in New York City. She was a graduate of Mt. St. Mary’s Academy in Newburgh, N.Y., Hunter College in N.Y., and received a master’s degree in library science from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She entered religious life in 1936.
During her 73 years as a Sister of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy, Sister deNeri taught in Charleston at St. Joseph School and Bishop England High School.
Sister deNeri also taught in Sumter at St. Catherine’s Kindergarten and the Sumter Missions. She was on the faculty of St. Angela Academy in Aiken for 36 years serving as a teacher, principal and librarian.
Sister deNeri was also a poet and an experienced musician with expertise on the organ and piano. From 1938 to 1953, she was part of the summer staff at Camp St. Mary’s in Bluffton. After leaving Aiken, she taught evening adult education classes in Sumter and was a tutor in the Literacy Program at Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach Services on Johns Island.
Sister deNeri’s brother, Father Albert Faase, a priest for the Diocese of Charleston, died in 1997. She is survived by her niece Judy and Judy’s husband Jack Koeppl; three nephews Bert, Frank, and Thomas Faase and their wives and children; and her sisters in the community of the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach
P.O. Box 607
Johns Island, SC 29957
or
The Oratory
P.O. Box 11586
Rock Hill, SC 29731