Sister Marianna De Simone, a Servite nun who had close connections to the Denver Catholic community, died on March 10. She was 81 years old.
Sister De Simone was born in Sorrento, Italy on Sept. 24, 1934. She was raised Catholic and was very involved in the Church from an early age. She first considered entering religious life when she was 17.
In 1955, Sister De Simone and her family moved to America. She was 21. They spent a few months in New York before settling permanently in Denver.
Sister De Simone spent much of her free time with religious sisters. The De Simone family became involved in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, where Sister De Simone developed close friendships with the Servite nuns there. These relationships are what led her to eventually join the Servants of Mary in 1959. She made her first vows in 1961, and her final profession in 1966.
Sister De Simone was very involved in Catholic education throughout her ministerial career. She received a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling from Siena Heights college in Adrian, Mich., and spent the first 17 years of her career serving in Omaha, Massena, N.Y., and Detroit. Then, in 1989, she moved to Denver and served as a guidance counselor at Mullen High School until 2003.
After her time in Denver came to an end, Sister De Simone moved back to Omaha and served at Marian High School, where she had served previously. She remained there until her passing.
Sister De Simone is survived by her brothers and sisters-in-law Gene and Veronica, Bruno and Martha, and her sister Fausta Wilson.
