Nancy Meister, CSJP (1945-2024)

Nancy Gail Meister was born on March 23, 1945, in Santa Monica, California, the first child of Paul Francis and Zona Gale (Buff) Meister. The births of her sister Paula and brothers Dennis and Steve completed the family.

Sister Nancy first met the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1959 as a first-year student at St. Genevieve’s High School in Van Nuys, California. In 2015, on her fiftieth jubilee, she recalled that the sisters “were down-to-earth, smart, warm, dedicated, fun-to-be-with women who were also excellent teachers… as I neared graduation my thoughts turned to religious life.”

Sister Nancy entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace as a postulant on September 12, 1964, and became a novice at St. Michael Novitiate, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on July 2, 1965. Sister Nancy pronounced final vows there on July 2, 1975.

Sister Nancy graduated from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 1969. She earned a Master of Arts in Learning Disabilities in 1979 from Fairleigh Dickinson University in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Starting in 1969, Sister Nancy embarked on a teaching career in New Jersey schools. She taught at St. Rose of Lima Elementary School in East Hanover; St. Anastasia Elementary School in Teaneck; Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tenafly; St. Joseph’s School for the Blind in Jersey City; and Forum School in Waldwick. She was also a learning disability consultant at Kenmare Alternative High School in Jersey City.

In 2002, Sister Nancy retired from teaching to care for her aging parents in California. Thirteen years later, she returned to New Jersey, where she gave generously of her time and personal gifts. She served on the Community Life Ministry Committee, the Guild for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, the St. Michael Villa Pathway Subcommittee, and the Eastern Region Finance Committee. In 2023 she joined the St. Michael Villa community in Englewood Cliffs.

Sister Nancy died peacefully at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck on April 2, 2024. She is survived by her sister, Paula Ayers, and her brothers, Dennis and Steve.

A combined wake service and Liturgy of Christian burial was held on April 6, 2024, at St. Michael Villa, followed by a burial at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey.