Sister Clare Carty, 78, administrator

Sister Clare Carty, 78, of Aston, an educator and health-care administrator, died Saturday, Feb. 14, of coronary artery disease at Chester-Crozer Hospital.

She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 58 years.

Sister Clare was born in Philadelphia, where she graduated from Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School.

Sister Clare earned a bachelor's degree in English from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md.; a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Loyola University in Baltimore; a master's in hospital administration from George Washington University; and an honorary doctoral degree from Bucks County Community College for her work in public service.

During the early part of her career, she taught in the Archdiocese of Baltimore for nine years, spent six years teaching in the Diocese of Charleston, S.C., and moved to take teaching jobs in the Archdiocese of Washington. Her time there ended in 1971.

Sister Clare was active for 32 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In 1980, she began working as assistant administrator of what was then St. Mary Hospital in Langhorne, and in 1982, she became administrator and CEO of the facility.

Under her leadership, St. Mary's grew from a community hospital to a much bigger institution and trauma center known as St. Mary Medical Center.

A colleague, Sister Ann Marie Slavin, said that during her years as CEO, Sister Clare tried to widen and deepen the scope of the hospital's care, especially when it came to low-income families.

"This was particularly true in the maternity center, which, in addition to health care, provides social services and, when needed, offers interim emergency housing," Sister Ann Marie said.

Sister Clare received numerous awards for her work. In 1986, she received the woman of distinction award from Soroptimist International of Indian Rock, and in 1994, she was named citizen of the year by the lower Bucks County chapter of the American Red Cross. She received the woman of the year award from the Bucks County Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 1997, and in 2014 was inducted into the Hallahan High School Hall of Fame.

From 1999 to 2002, Sister Clare served as vice president of the continuum of care for Catholic Health Initiatives, and from 2003 to 2007 was administrator of congregational services for the Sisters of St. Francis.

She volunteered for the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation from 2008 to 2012. In 2012, Sister Clare retired to Assisi House in Aston, where she prayed and reflected until her death.

Services were Friday, Feb. 20.

Sister Clare is survived by a brother, Thomas Carty; and nieces and nephews.

Donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Rd., Aston, Pa. 19014.