School Sister of St. Francis Jesse Marie Mortimer served 20+ years in the archdiocese

School Sister of St. Francis Jesse Marie Mortimer served students at two Archdiocese of Omaha high schools during her 71 years in religious life.

She taught at Archbishop Bergan Catholic High School in Fremont from 1961 to 1966 and at the former Archbishop Ryan Catholic High School in Omaha from 1966 to 1983. Sister Jesse Marie also taught at schools in the Archdioceses of Milwaukee and Chicago.

The longtime educator will be remembered by thousands of students. She died March 16 at Sacred Heart retirement and healthcare home in Milwaukee. She was 91.

Funeral services were held March 26 in Milwaukee, with a funeral liturgy at St. Joseph Chapel, followed by a burial service at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Sister Jesse Marie was born in Chilton, Wisconsin, and was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1954. She made her first profession of vows in 1956 and her perpetual vows in 1962.

She began serving in schools in 1957 and retired in 2019. Until her death, Sister Jesse Marie ministered through her prayer and presence at Sacred Heart in Milwaukee, the School Sisters of St. Francis said.

Survivors include two brothers, John Mortimer of Chilton and Eugene Mortimer of New Holstein, Wisconsin; nieces and nephews; and the School Sisters of St. Francis community.