Sister Susan Staff, SDS

Born to eternal life on May 25, 2016, Sister of the Divine Savior Susan Staff, SDS, (formerly) Sr. Gracemary), was born June 23, 1938 in Milwaukee. A graduate of St. Robert's Grade School and Divine Savior High School, she entered the Sisters of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians), in 1956. Sister Susan earned a bachelor's degree from Mount Mary College, and served as a dietitian at St. Mary's Hospital in Wausau, WI from 1965 to 1970. She spent the next three years as an instructor in the College of Nursing at Marquette University. In 1973 she began a 15 year ministry assisting Father Gerald Hauser at Milwaukee's Albert Cardinal Meyer Institute and in fund development at St. Francis de Sales Seminary. In 58 years of religious life, Sister Susan also served as novice mistress, public relations and communications coordinator, vocation director, development director and archivist for the SDS community. Living with the effects of childhood polio, Sister Susan embraced life's challenges with fearless independence. She was preceded in death by her parents John C. Staff, Jr. and Elizabeth Kelleher Staff; a sister, Kathleen Mary Staff; and brother-in-law Daniel Kniep. She is survived by siblings: Judith (Thomas) Smilanich, J (John) Staff III (Karen), Mary (Patrick) Reardon, David (Katherine) Staff, Robert (Anne) Staff, Elizabeth Staff Kniep, Richard (Nancy) Staff and Margaret (Greg) Steger. She is also survived by nieces and nephews and members of the Salvatorian Family.

Visitation for Sister Susan will be Wednesday, June 1, 2016, beginning at 12:30 p.m. at St. Anne's Salvatorian Campus Chapel, 3800 North 92nd. Street, Milwaukee. The Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 1:15 p.m. Burial: Holy Cross Cemetery, Milwaukee on Thursday, June 2, 2016 at 9:00 a.m.

Donations may be made in memory of Sister Susan to the Sisters of the Divine Savior, 4311 N. 100th St. Milwaukee, WI 53222.