Sr. Natalie Haas R.S.M

Sister Mary Natalie Haas passed away peacefully early Saturday, May 23 at St. Bernardine Home in Fremont at the age of 91.  A native of Perrysburg, she was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Irene Bellette Haas.

A Sister of Mercy for 75 years, the majority of her ministries were focused in elementary education, having earned a BS in education from St John College in Cleveland and a Masters degree in education from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

She began her 37-year teaching career at Ascension School, Cleveland, where she taught children in primary and intermediate grades for 18 years during the 1950’s, 70’s, and early 80’s.  In the Toledo diocese she could be found teaching at St. Vincent de Paul School (Toledo) and St. Mary Schools (Mansfield & Vermilion).  She also taught for ten years in Cincinnati.

Her special love for children was the key to her success as she also enjoyed the love of her students. That love stayed with her long after her retirement from teaching as she shared many stories from those days with other retired Sisters.

Her life took a major turn in 1986 when she began a new ministry of pastoral care at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima.  Her gentle ways and quick wit endeared her to both patients and staff. 

It was in those sixteen years at St. Rita’s that she began to build on her innate artistic skills when she set up an art studio for her painting.  In 2001, she retired to St. Bernardine Home in Fremont and pursued her painting in earnest, receiving an Honorable Merit Award in 2002 and First Place Award in 2004 from Terra Community College for her water color paintings.  Her subjects were various scenes from nature and Ohio’s rural farm lands, barns, farm houses, many within snow scenes. Many of her paintings decorate the hallways at St. Bernardine’s.

In addition and possibly most important, Sister Natalie was an avid and loyal fan of the Cleveland Indians - never missing a game!

Sister Natalie is survived by her Community of the Sisters of Mercy, and she also leaves her sisters Louise Miller (Jefferson, OH) and Joanne Gale (Lady Lake, FL).

Services will be private with burial in Our Lady of the Pines cemetery in Fremont on Friday, May 29th, 2020.  Arrangements are in the care of Hanneman-Chudzinski-Keller Funeral Home, Fremont. 

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