Sister M. Elena Fontaine, IHM

Sister M. Elena Fontaine, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Monday, December 28, 1998, at the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA.

She was born January 3, 1913 in Providence, RI, and given the name Mary R. She was the daughter of the late John and Marie Cartier Fontaine. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 7, 1931, made temporary profession of her vows on April 24, 1934, and final profession of her vows on August 1, 1937.

Sister Elena served as a teacher at the following schools: St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School in Archbald, PA; St. Rose Elementary School in Carbondale, PA; St. Basil Elementary School in Dushore, PA; St. Matthew Elementary School in East Stroudsburg, PA; All Saints Elementary School in Masontown, PA; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Elementary School in Altoona, PA; St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Bellefonte, PA; St. Mary of the Assumption Elementary School in Upper Marlboro, MD; St. Ambrose Elementary School in Bridgeport, CT; as well as schools located in Cresson, PA, and New York.

Sister Elena also served as a nurse’s aide at the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA, from 1970 to 1983; and receptionist at the IHM Center in Scranton, PA, from 1983 to 1984.

From 1984 until the time of her death, Sister Elena served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Marywood College.

She was preceded in death by four sisters, Fedora Fontaine, Louise LeClair, Mary Alice Blanchett and Eileen Leach, and four brothers, Emil, Eugene George, Joseph C. and John Henry.

She is survived by three sisters, Eva Bell of Cranston, RI, Evelyn Barlow of Providence, RI, and Doris Lancor of Johnson, RI, and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Tuesday, January 5 at 10:30 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at the Marian Convent in Scranton. Interment will follow at St. Catherine’s Cemetery, Moscow, PA. Friends may call at the Marian Convent on Monday between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.