Sister Marie Bowe (Sister James Elizabeth), 92, died Sunday, March 31, at St. Joseph’s Provincial House, Latham, N.Y. She had been a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for 72 years.
Sister Marie was born in Fort Edward, N.Y., on Aug. 10, 1926, daughter of the late James E. and Elizabeth Conklin Bowe. After graduating from Fort Edward High School, she worked in the office of Sandy Hill Iron & Brass Co. in Hudson Falls. On March 19, 1947, Sister Marie entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in Troy, N.Y.; she professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1952.
Sister Marie received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in reading, both from The College of Saint Rose. For 30 years, she taught grades 1 through 4 in schools in the Albany and Syracuse dioceses. In the Syracuse Diocese, Sister Marie taught at St. Aloysius Academy, Rome; St. John the Baptist School, Syracuse; and Sacred Heart School, Utica. After caring for her elderly mother, Sister Marie did community in-service and served as a computer lab assistant at St. Joseph’s Provincial House.
Sister Marie was a gentle, thoughtful woman with a passion for fishing, a fondness for horses, and an appreciation of nature; she enjoyed nothing more than spending time with those dear to her. Her most prized possession, a small train that traveled around their family Christmas tree when Sister Marie was a child, brought her great joy and comfort as she set it up every holiday season. Sister Marie knew intuitively how to take delight in the simple pleasures of life, and that recognition was a gift to all who knew her. While God was the guiding force in her life, Sister Marie cherished her family, treasured her friendships, loved her faith, and, in her simple, quiet way, lived every moment until she died. Sister Marie’s extraordinary legacy of kindness and goodness will live on in our hearts.
Sister Marie is survived by her sister-in-law, Janet Bowe; her nephews, Paul, Mark, and Todd Bowe and their families, all of Fort Edward/Hudson Falls; many friends; and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. In addition to her parents, Sister Marie was predeceased by her brothers, James E. Bowe, Jr. and Edward F. Bowe.
Sister Marie’s Mass of Christian Burial took place at the Provincial House on April 5. Donations in Sister Marie’s memory may be made to the Development Office, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 385 Watervliet Shaker Road, Latham, N.Y., 12110.
