Sister Maria Anthony Clements, IHM

Sister Maria Anthony Clements, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Thursday, October 16, 1975 at Mercy Hospital in Scranton, PA.

She was born on February 6, 1895 in Washington, DC, and given the name Elise. She was the daughter of the late Dr. Lyman Jairus and Elise Bercegeay Clements, and step-daughter of the late Harriett Battles Clements. Before entering the community, Elise was an active member in the Immaculate Conception Auxillary in her hometown. She entered the IHM Congregation on August 14, 1926, received the religious habit in December of 1926, and made profession of her vows on January 2, 1929.

Sister Maria Anthony served as a registered nurse at the following: St. Joseph’s Hospital in Carbondale, PA, from 1932 to 1936; St. Agnes Place in Elmhurst, PA, from 1936 to 1938 and 1947 to 1952; St. John’s Home in Cresson, PA, in 1941; St. Joseph’s Children’s and Maternity Hospital in Scranton, PA, from 1952 to 1968; and Allied Services in Scranton, PA, from 1968 to 1969. She was the nursing supervisor at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Carbondale, PA, from 1941 to 1947, and at St. Joseph’s Children’s and Maternity Hospital in Scranton, PA, from 1952 to 1953. She then served as a clerk in the medical records library at St. Joseph’s Children’s and Maternity Hospital in Scranton, PA, from 1953 to 1968.

Sister also served as a teacher in the following schools: St. Leo Elementary School in Ashley, PA, from 1938 to 1939; St. Mary School in Goldsboro, NC, from 1939 to 1940; and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Elementary School in Altoona, PA, from 1940 to 1941.

From 1969 until the time of her death, Sister Maria Anthony served as prayer minister at the Marian Convent.

She received a nursing degree from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Rochester, MN, and a Bachelor of Science degree nursing education. She was an associate member of the American Association of Medical Record Librarians.

She was preceded in death by two sisters, Myrtle MacAvoy and Julia L. Golden, and a brother, Dr. William H. Clements.

She is survived by two sisters, Ivy V. Ashburn of Orlando, FL, and Mary Lucille Boswell of Hyattsville, MD, two brothers, Lyman P., Jr. of Largo, FL, and Samuel B. of South Carolina, and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Saturday, October 18 at 9:30 a.m. in the Marian Convent Chapel in Scranton, PA. Interment will follow at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA. Friends may call Thursday evening, Friday afternoon and evening at the Marian Convent.

Note: Her mother’s full name was Marie Aureline Elizabeth Bercegeay, but she went by Elise.