Sister Letitia
Prentice
Memorial Service 10:00 AM Thursday, November 4, 2021 at The Cathedral Church of All Saints 818 E. Juneau Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Inurnment Green Ridge Cemetery Kenosha, WI
Sister Letitia Prentice passed on to Eternal Life early on Sunday morning, November 15, 2020.
She was born Charlotte Seabury Prentice in February, 1925, in Tacoma, Washington, the youngest of five children of Paul and Bertha Prentice. Mt. Reinier formed her skyline and the cold waters of Puget Sound provided stories of capsizing the little family sailboat and being rescued by her stern father and brother. She left Washington State College at the age of 18 during World War II to accompany her oldest sister, Elizabeth, on the long drive to San Diego with two little kids in the back seat, gas rationing and worn out tires. They made it, thanks to picking up a hitchhiking sailor in San Francisco who drove the remaining miles.
She loved the flowers, sunshine, beaches and her friends in San Diego where she advanced to the position of Head Bookkeeper for the San Diego branch of Bank of America. At the age of 28, to the dismay of her family but with a deep and genuine desire to serve, she left her home in San Diego to join the Western Province of the Sisters of St. Mary, headquartered in Wisconsin. She changed her name to Letitia which means Joy.
Her 67 years as Sister Letitia were filled with kindness, dedication to others, deep friendships, joy and hard work. She began her community life scrubbing floors, baking bread and gladly doing whatever needed to be done. She ran a summer camp and De Koven retreat center, fixed the buildings and the grounds, served on boards, traveled widely and became Sister Superior, always unselfishly serving others with gladness and singleness of heart.
She retired to Mary’s Margin, a house of hospitality which she established with Sister Dorcas in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. Together, they sponsored individuals needing a boost in life through their Inner Peace Corps, built a labyrinth with prayer stations in their woods and a observation tower overlooking the Vernon Marsh, gardened organically and accomplished other amazing feats.
Sister Letitia spent the last years of her life at St. John’s On The Lake in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she read, sang, swam, enjoyed conversations, played ping pong and rooted for the Packers.
A special thanks to the staff and residents of St. John’s who valued her friendship and cared for her as ‘a very special person’.
Sister Letitia lives on in the hearts of her long-time friends and associates, especially Nancy Hills and Travis DuPriest. She will be remembered fondly by the Community of St. Mary and her many campers and dancers. She will be greatly missed by her nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, especially Margaret Arrington and Patricia Curtis.
Memorial Service 10:00 AM Thursday, November 4, 2021 at The Cathedral Church of All Saints 818 E. Juneau Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Inurnment Green Ridge Cemetery Kenosha, WI
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I enjoyed getting to know Sr. Letitia later in her life when she lived at St. John’s on the Lake in Milwaukee. My friend Pat and I would go approximately twice a year to visit Sr. Mary Grace where when we had gone to Kemper Hall Prep Boarding School in Kenosha, Mary Grace was the the Mother Superior. Sister Mary Grace introduced us to Sr. Letitia several years ago and the four of us would all go down to the dining room together for a lovely lunch together. I so enjoyed her sense of humor and the back and forth between the two Sisters. I will miss that.