Sister John Michael Geis

August 30, 1936-February 18, 2022

With his own blood Christ obtained eternal redemption for us.

Direct, honest, helpful and giving, S. John Michael Geis was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her family moved to Cincinnati while she was in grade school. She met the Sisters of Charity in high school at St. Mary, Hyde Park. It was in her senior year that she was led to consider religious life; she entered the Community in September 1954.

S. John Michael’s ministries represent more than 45 years; nine as a middle-grade classroom teacher and then 37 years serving the needs of the deaf community at St. Rita School for the Deaf in Evendale, Ohio. It was a phone call from Mother Mary Omer Downing that prompted her to go to St. Rita in 1968. That year turned into 37 years of ministry at the school, serving in a variety of capacities. It became a labor of love. She served as an intermediate/junior high teacher for most of those years, dean of discipline and friend to many. In extracurriculars, S. John Michael co-directed the Hands of Love Choir and headed the school’s D.A.R.E. program.

For a number of years, Sister offered a free 10-week course in the language of signs for the public at St. Rita’s, giving area residents a basic ability to converse with non-hearing persons. In the early 1990s, S. John Michael was asked to provide a sign language course for law enforcement personnel from Hamilton, Montgomery and Ross counties which enabled police officers to communicate when working with persons who are hearing impaired. In 1995 S. John Michael received the Police Appreciation Citizen Award, nominated by the Evendale Police Department.

S. John Michael would say that the role she loved most was to be a presence and support to the kids who needed a listening ear and an understanding heart to walk with them and their families through their joyful, fearful and challenging times.

Former parents, Ed and Cyndy Pfiester, remember, “S. John Mike lived a long and giving-to-others life. She was one of our favorite persons, ever. She was always positive and optimistic about the world and people, especially St. Rita students.”

Her love for education and children spilled into her personal life as well. S. Terry Thorman shared how helpful S. John Michael was to her and the Peaslee Neighborhood Center in the 1990s as director of a ‘sign choir.’ “The choir was a handful of energy, so we called on Sister’s expert help with the signing,” she recalled. “She came from St. Rita’s after her own teaching day to work with our sign singers. She fell in love with the kids. She invited our choir to spend time with the children at St. Rita’s as well. She brought such joy and energy as well as her generous spirit.”