Sister Pants. Real name sister Jeane. The librarian at my kids infants school. 91, been in ill health a while now. Lovely , fiery little woman. I’m dreading telling the kids.
My kids had a habit of leaving class to go to the toilet and then not finding their way back to class but ending up in the library. Invariably one would go down and find one of her sisters sat in the big chair reading to the younger kids or just chatting with Sister Jeane. With the twins, if one didn’t return the other would be sent to find her, then she’d be gone. Sister Jeane wasn’t like the nuns who taught us, she was fun, she let them call her Sister Pants. It’s a name that came about when one of them was very young and couldn’t get her name out but was so excited to tell us about the library. Sister Jeane laughed and loved it. None of the teachers would challenge her but would give out to my kids who, I guess, thought the library was more important that whatever class they were in.
They kept in touch through high school. My kids would go up to the convent when she retired and assemble care packages for people stuck in ICE Detention centers - where they charge a ridiculous mark up on essentials like stamps and phone cards.
One of my kids wrote an essay about her impact on her life for a scholarship which she won. She was thrilled, as happy as anyone in our family when the girls got in their first choice universities.
My wife visited her a lot and loved her humour. She is at work now, devastated. She hasn’t been able to visiting since March due to the pandemic. She used to bake for her then found out Sister gave away whatever she baked. She started baking some to give away and some for you.
Had a great impact on my kids. I’m sure she couldn’t count all the other kids she’s done similar with.
She would always say make sure dad gets some dad time, he works hard. This was when I had two jobs.
Big loss but a life of giving not taking. If there’s a heaven it’s a better place today than it was yesterday.