• Memorial f o f o • Memorial Sister Loretta May, OP 1933-2022
On January 3, Sr. Loretta May, OP passed away at the age of 88 after 71 years of religious profession. Sr. Loretta was at Gilmour from 1988-1996 but, before her time on campus, she was an educator at numerous schools around the Midwest.
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In January of 1988, Sr. Loretta joined the Gilmour Lower School, becoming the school’s first administrator. She helped transition Glen Oak School into the Lower School we know today.
Lower School Administrative Assistant Lois Boyer worked alongside Sr. Loretta and the pair became fast friends, often traveling together. She said, “Sr. Loretta was a true leader, decisive in her role yet kind and compassionate toward anyone she came in contact with.” A former student of Sr. Loretta’s at the Lower School shared in an online tribute, “Sr. Loretta was an amazing woman who shared her many gifts with so many of us across so many years. She was an extraordinary administrator. A light has gone out in our world. She lived a full life in service to others and was gifted at making a positive impact for teachers and students alike." After her years at the Lower School, Sr. Loretta took a sabbatical, leaving behind a school that was impacting students through its personalized approach to teaching and learning. Headmaster Emeritus Br. Robert Lavelle, C.S.C. reflected on Sr. Loretta’s legacy, “Over the years, her leadership and dedication greatly enhanced the Lower School and the development of all the youngsters who have graced those hallways. I will long remember and appreciate the gifts she brought and the tone she set for the Lower School that continues to live on, all these years later.”
