Sister of Mercy Patricia Guziec lived and served with love

Sister of Mercy Patricia Guziec chose to “Serve with Love.”

That was her motto as a religious sister and one she lived out as an educator, administrator, communicator, care coordinator and volunteer, the Sisters of Mercy said in a written tribute.

Sister Pat, formerly known as Sister Mary Kennan, died March 19. She was 83.

A prayer service was held March 25 in Omaha, followed by a March 26 funeral Mass at Christ the King Church in Omaha.

Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery.

Sister Pat was born in Omaha to Edward and Genevieve (Zymball) Guziec. There she attended the former St. Adalbert School and Mercy High School. She entered the Sisters of Mercy community shortly after graduating from high school in 1958 and took her perpetual vows in 1966.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from College of Saint Mary in Omaha and a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Northern Colorado.

She taught at St. Bernard School in Omaha from 1963 to 1967 before teaching in Joplin, Missouri, for two years.

Sister Pat was a teacher and principal at the former Queen of Apostles School in Council Bluffs, Iowa, before becoming a teacher at Holy Cross School in Omaha in 1971. From 1972 to 1978, she was principal at the school.

Sister Pat then worked across the street at Mercy High School, returning to her alma mater to teach English, journalism and photography from 1978 to 1984. She was director of public relations for the school from 1984 to 1986 and added recruitment to her duties from 1986 to 1988.

Sister Pat then served in communications for the Sisters of Mercy in Omaha until 2000, when she shifted to caring for retired members of her religious community.

She served in a ministry of prayer from 2017 until her death.

Sister Pat volunteered to cook and serve meals at a homeless shelter and enjoyed travel – which included a mission trip to Ecuador – golf, tennis and singing with a Mercy Alumnae Chorus and a community musical group “Nun Like Us,” in which she also played the accordion.

She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Mary Mendenhall.

Survivors include the Sisters of Mercy; her sister Barb Costello; nieces and nephews.