Sister Joan Holliday, Csjp (Sister Mary Virgil) Obituary (1934

Sister Joan Holliday (Sister Mary Virgil) died peacefully on April 18, 2024, at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue Washington. Her family was able to visit her before she passed away, which was Joan's greatest wish. Joan was born in Wenatchee, Washington on April 7, 1934, to parents Virgil and Helen (Stadler) Holliday. Her siblings include Virgilia, Kathy, Susan, and Thomas. While working the night shift at St. Anthony's Hospital Joan met Sister Stephen McBride and in 1953 entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in Bellingham, Washington. She graduated from Seattle University with a BA in Education and later an MA in Education and History from Gonzaga University. As a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace, Joan began her teaching career at Sacred Heart School in Bellevue, Washington and St. Rose School in Longview, Washington. Later she taught history and economics, at St. Genevieve High School in California, Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle and Burlington-Edison High School in Burlington, Washington. Sister Joan was a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children. She also served on the Board of the League of Women Voters for several years. Since 1991 Joan has lived at St. Mary-on-the-Lake, where her primary ministries have been prayer, hospitality, gardening, and baking for the community and visitors alike. Joan enjoyed sewing beautiful, colorful pill-box hats which she matched with her daily attire. In a reflection written for Peace Times in 2004, Joan reflected on baking: "Bread making is more of a spiritual experience than it is 'cooking.' A little yeast, water and flour can create something which is alive, creative, and often delicious: a repeatable miracle. ... Bread is a little bit like the multitude of persons and personalities that make up the universe--unusual, different, experimental. God must have a lot of fun with that." Sister Joan certainly had a lot of fun co-creating with God. We will miss her gracious hospitality, inventive recipes, and special desserts, as well as her insights into complex geopolitical events. Let us pause and give thanks for the gift of Joan among us--her keen intellect, commitment to those who are poor and vulnerable, and of course the generous sharing of her creative gifts as an expert baker. We hold especially in prayer her family, the community, and caregivers at St. Mary-on-the-Lake, and all those who loved Joan. Vigil Service will be on Tuesday May 14, 2024, at 4:00 PM. Mass of Christian Burial is Wednesday May 15, 2024, at 11:00 AM. Both services are at St. Mary-on-the-Lake, Bellevue, WA. Burial will be on Wednesday May 15, at 2:00 PM. at Holyrood Catholic Cemetery, Shoreline, WA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace Retirement Fund, PO Box 248, Bellevue, WA 98009.