Sister Frances Mary Rundell, IHM

Sister Frances Mary Rundell, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.

Born on September 9, 1929, in Johnson City, NY, and given the name Leatrice Margaret, she was the daughter of the late Alton Ray Rundell and Frances Scales Rundell. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1953, made temporary profession of her vows on August 4, 1956, and final profession of her vows on August 4, 1959.  Sister Frances Mary received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education/music, and a Master of Science degree in elementary education/music, both from Marywood College.

Sister Frances Mary served as a teacher in the following schools: Holy Trinity Elementary School in Poughkeepsie, NY, from 1956 to 1958; St. Mary of Mount Carmel Elementary School in Dunmore, PA, from 1958 to 1963; St. Rose Elementary School in Carbondale, PA, from 1963 to 1966; St. Lawrence Elementary School in South Williamsport, PA, from 1966 to 1968; St. Peter of Alcantara Elementary School in Port Washington, NY, from 1968 to 1974; Epiphany Elementary School in Sayre, PA, from 1974 to 1976; St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Binghamton, NY, from 1976 to 1981; Holy Rosary Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1981 to 1985; St. Patrick Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1982 to 1985; and St. Matthew Elementary School in Wilmington, DE, from 1985 to 1990.

Sister also served as pastoral associate for liturgy and music at Sacred Heart Church in La Plata, MD, from 1990 to 1991; coordinator of liturgy and music at St. James and St. Michael Parishes and La Salle Academy, all in Jessup, PA, from 1991 to 1997; director of music and liturgy at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Parish in Dunmore, PA, from 1997 to 2002; director of music and liturgy at Tri-Church Catholic Parish in Jessup, PA, from 1997 to 2009; chaplain at Clarks Summit State Hospital in Clarks Summit, PA, from 2004 to 2014; director of liturgy and music at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Towanda, PA, from 2010 to 2011; and music ministry volunteer at the IHM Center in Scranton, PA, from 2014 to 2021.

From 2021 until the time of her death, Sister Frances Mary was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.

She was preceded in death by three brothers, James, Robert and Edward McHugh, and a sister, Betty Rae Treible. Sister Frances Mary is survived by a niece and her husband, Gail and Charles Johnson of Clearwater, FL; and many nieces and nephews living from coast to coast. She is also survived by the members of the IHM Congregation.

The funeral will be Thursday, June 5, at 11:00 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Peace Residence, 1510 University Avenue in Dunmore, PA. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Thursday, June 5, between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. A prayer service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow Mass on Thursday at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA.

Prayer and Funeral Mass

Reflection

Given by Sister Judith O’Brien, IHM Leadership Team Member

Last Wednesday, while sitting next to Sr. Frances Mary’s bed, holding her hand, I whispered the words “It is okay to go, Franny, your God is waiting.” As I watched her breathe deeply yet surprisingly peacefully, I thought about how our paths had often crossed over the years, in the Chapel joining our instruments and our voices to praise our God.

Like so many of our sisters, music was Frances Mary’s passion and she shared that passion with us up until her dying days. Music is in our IHM blood.  It is a gift that is a wonderful part of our IHM charism and mission, and like Frances Mary, we are known for it. It unites us to each other and to our world. And for a few brief seconds, it united Frances and I. Sisters like her have engrained music into our IHM hearts, encouraging us to be a harmonious presence of God in our world. And we are!!!

I am told that many days, after the noon meal here at OLP, she would take herself over to the piano in the dining room and bang out a medley of patriotic songs for all to sing. I can only imagine how many classrooms, Christmas concerts, Spring and Fall events, church choirs or just simple sing-alongs she planned for staged and performed in her many years of religious life, all in the name of her love for God. How many people have been touched over all those years. Let’s just take that in for a moment.

On another note, no pun intended… I will never forget one of the first funerals that we were present for here…. As you may recall, Franny liked to sit in the first row, second seat from the end right there. Before the funeral, I think it was Sue who went calmly and quietly to ask if she would move to a different seat for the funeral. Not so calmly and not so quietly, she absolutely refused to vacate her comfortable place in her chapel. Needless to say, we dutifully took our seats in the second row behind her. As we sat there, I had a birds-eye-view of her eyes and her hands as they flipped through the pages of the music edition, searching for the songs to be sung, as if they were the sheets of music she had flipped for years. Her ears and mouth on the other hand, heard and sang the words to each piece, definitely embedded in the mind and spirit of a musician forever. 

Thank you, Frances Mary for your musical spirit that surrounds us here today, and will continue to sing among us and the people of God forever.