Sister Helen Veronica Hamill, 88
Sister Helen Veronica Hamill, 88, a nurse supervisor, died of heart failure Saturday, May 21, at Assisi House, Aston. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 67 years.
Sister Helen Veronica Hamill, 88, a nurse supervisor, died of heart failure Saturday, May 21, at Assisi House, Aston.
She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 67 years.
Born Marguerite Patricia Hamill in Philadelphia, she was a graduate of J.W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School.
She entered the religious order in 1946 and professed her first vows in 1949. Her sibling, Sister Marguerite Joseph Hamill, also entered the convent.
Shortly after becoming a nun, Sister Helen Veronica taught at St. Elizabeth School in Baltimore and Holy Angels School in Trenton.
Most of her life, however, was spent working in health care. She studied at St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore, and became a registered nurse in 1954. For the next two years, she worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Lancaster, while also studying anesthesia. In 1967, she earned a bachelor of science degree from Villanova University.
Sister Helen Veronica served in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, including at St. Mary Hospital in Philadelphia, where she supervised the operating room and then the intensive care unit.
She went on to become supervisor of the emergency room at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne.
From 1977 to 1994, she was nurse supervisor at Assisi House, the retirement home for the Sisters of St. Francis.
"Sister Helen Veronica was an excellent nurse as well as a very competent supervisor," said her Franciscan colleague, Sister Ann Marie Slavin. "The common sense that was vitally a part of her medical background was also very much a part of her everyday life.
"She knew when to be serious, when to relax, and most definitely when to enjoy a good laugh."
She was the chaplain's assistant at Immaculate Mary Home, a nursing home in Philadelphia, until her retirement to Assisi House in 2009. She immersed herself in prayer and contemplation until her death.
She is survived by a nephew and nieces. Her sister died earlier.
Funeral services were Thursday, May 26.
Donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Rd., Aston, Pa. 19014.
610-313-8102