Sister of Charity of Nazareth Mary Naomi Elder died Oct. 30 in Louisville. She was 95 and had been an SCN for 74 years.
Sister Elder, a native of Louisville, received her master’s degree in elementary education from Spalding College — now university.
In the Archdiocese of Louisville, she taught at St. Phillip Neri, Most Blessed Sacrament, St. Agnes, St. Martha, St. Raphael and St. Cecilia schools. She also taught at schools in Ft. Thomas and Newport, Ky., in Maryland, and served as a principal in Virginia.
Following her years in education, she served as the parish secretary at St. Frances of Rome Church and as an administrative assistant at Our Lady of Peace Hospital.
She later volunteered at St. Gabriel School and served her SCN community as a member of the Marie Menard Committee, which collects and shares the life stories of SCNs.
Sister Elder also served as a certified catechist and director of liturgy. In 1985, Sister Elder was named an honorary Kentucky Colonel.
She is survived by her brother, Jack Elder of Louisville, her extended family and her religious community.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Nov. 8 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Nazareth, Ky. Visitation will be Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul. The funeral will be available to watch online at https://nazareth.org/live.
Memorial gifts may be offered to the SCN Office of Mission Advancement, P.O. Box 9, Nazareth, Ky., 40048.
