Sister Mary (Elizabeth Mary) Elko, age 92, died at Villa St. Michael in Emmitsburg, Maryland on September 22, 2017. She was born on October 6, 1924 in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Sister Mary was the second of seven children born to Mary (Hanzlik) and Michael J. Elko.
Sister Mary joined the Daughters of Charity on October 28, 1943 in Emmitsburg, Maryland. In 1944 she was sent on her first mission to St. Vincent’s Hospital for Women and Children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After five years serving at St. Vincent’s Hospital, she returned to Emmitsburg for study at St. Joseph College, followed by studies at Catholic University. From Catholic University she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1953 and a Master of Science in Nursing in 1958. Other places where Sister Mary served were: St. Margaret Hospital, Dorchester, Massachusetts (1953-1954); Mount St. Vincent Hospital/Mount Hope in Baltimore, Maryland (1954-1963); and St. Vincent Hospital/De Paul Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia (1963-1965). In 1965 she volunteered for the missions in Bolivia where she served in various places as a nurse. In Bolivia she became the Director of the AMANECER program, a program for homeless women and abused or abandoned children. In 2014, Sister Mary returned from Bolivia and was missioned to Villa St. Michael in Emmitsburg where she served in the ministry of prayer until her death.
Sister Mary was preceded in death by her parents and four brothers. She is survived by her sisters Rose Uzel and Alice Baroni , nieces and nephews, and her Sisters in Community.
A wake service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 29 in the Villa Chapel in Emmitsburg. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 30 in the Basilica of the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Emmitsburg, followed by burial in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Sister Mary’s name to the Daughters of Charity, 4330 Olive Street, Saint Louis, Missouri 63108. Arrangements have been entrusted to the MYERS-DURBORAW FUNERAL HOME in Emmitsburg.