Remembering Sr. Edna English, Sr. Ann Gregory of the Cross, 89, 11/19/32 – 11/26/21, 63 Years Professed
Sr. Edna English, DW, Sr. Ann Gregory of the Cross, 89
11/19/32 – 11/26/21, 63 Years Professed
Friends of Wisdom, we are saddened to report the passing of Sr. Edna Irene English, DW, 89, Sr. Ann Gregory of the Cross. Sr. Edna passed peacefully into eternal life on November 26, 2021.
Born in Reams, Virginia, to Marion (Moody) S. and Nolia James English, Sister was the youngest of three brothers, James, Charles, Robert, and a sister, Marion, all who predeceased her. She is survived by many nieces and nephews. Sister was raised in Eastern North Carolina and attended seven elementary schools before entering Tarboro schools. After graduation from high school in 1951, Sr. Edna became a nursing student at Maryview Hospital, Portsmouth, VA, and graduated in 1954 with a diploma in nursing. This is where she first encountered the Daughters of Wisdom who were her teachers. She entered the Novitiate in Litchfield, CT, and made profession in 1958. She later went on to earn her BSN from Adelphi University, NY, in 1970, and in 1977 earned her MSN from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She began as a nurse supervisor at St. Charles Hospital in Brooklyn, NY in 1959 and remained there for five years until transferring to St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY as a supervising head nurse in 1964. In 1977 she relocated to North Carolina and began a ministry as a nursing consultant at the Eastern Regional Office in Greenville. She later moved on to work as a consultant for both the Duplin County Health Department in Kenansville, NC, and Hyde County Health Department in Swan Quarter, NC. After she retired from nursing in 1995, Sr. Edna became the Director of Religious Education at St. Gabriel RC Church in Greenville, NC. She was active on the planning and zoning board of Greenville, NC, and served on the board of Shepperd Memorial Library. She also continued to serve as Guardian ad litem, a court-appointed position, advocating for the children of Greenville, NC.
In 2020 Sr. Edna relocated to Long Island, New York, and became a part of the Sound Beach Community at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Convent.
Sister will long be remembered for her purposeful life, her uproarious sense of humor, and her impeccable story delivery. She once said, "I have had my parents' influence come into place over and over again. I think one of the greatest gifts that they gave me was to question what and why I did something."
Sr. Edna will be greatly missed by her many nieces, nephews, the Daughters of Wisdom, friends, and staff members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Convent and the Greenville, NC, community.
To donate in Sr. Edna's memory, visit: Donations