Sister Marie Gillet Reap, IHM
Sister Marie Gillet Reap, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on October 24, 1969 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Carbondale, Pennsylvania.
She was born on August 25, 1904 in Avoca, Pennsylvania, and given the name Hortense Marie. She was the daughter of the late John and Helen Clark Reap. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1954, received the religious habit on August 2, 1955, and made profession of her vows on August 3, 1957.
Sister Marie Gillet served as a teacher at the following schools: St. Matthew in Wilmington, DE, from 1957 to 1958; and St. Alphonsus in New York City, from 1958 to 1961.
Sister also served at Marywood College in Scranton as the Dean of Students, from 1961 to 1962; and Vice-President for Student Affairs, from 1962 to 1968.
From 1968 until the time of her death, she served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent.
Interment will follow the Mass of Christian Burial at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, Pennsylvania.
Memorial contributions may be made to support the retired IHM Sisters c/o the IHM Sisters Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Avenue, Scranton, PA 18509.
Below is a eulogy about our Sister Marie Gillet:
May She Rest in Peace
On October twenty-fourth, Sister Marie Gillet Reap, IHM, Vice-President for Student Affairs, and one of the best beloved of Marywood's staff died after a lengthy illness. An illness which few would have endured as she did and which many were not aware of until the rather recent past. For in spite of her suffering Sister somehow managed to be where the students wanted her to be and whenever feasible to at least try to do what they wanted her to do. Her sole interest was in the girls and their happiness and her efforts to insure this happiness was bounded only by her consideration of their welfare and the reputation of Marywood College.
That she was a true Marywoodian can be confirmed from many view points over a period of close to thirty years. The members of the class of 1946 remember "Horty" as fun-loving, lively, pretty and as noted in her Tourmaline "a steadfast friend."
To the Business Majors during the early 1950's Miss Reap's classes were those which drew the least criticism, largely because of her and not necessarily the subject matter. Her concern for her student and her fairness and loyalty in her association with them made learning a more pleasant experience.
With her many years of commitment to Marywood it seemed only natural that she enter the novitiate in 1954 and after profession and teaching in Delaware and New York City that she return to Marywood. In 1961 she was named Dean of Students and, with the revision of the administrative structure last year, she became the first Vice-President of Student Affairs.
By whatever title she was known however her devotion for, and from, her students remained the same. The class of 1966 in the dedication of their yearbook to Sister came closest to expressing the regret with which she was considered when they referred to her as "The Ideal Marywoodian."
