Aston, PA—Sister Regina Lanahan, OSF, 87, (formerly Sister William Mary) died in Assisi House on November 27.  She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 64 years. Sister Regina was born Myrtle Regina in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was a member of St. Ann Parish and a graduate of Seton High School. She entered the congregation in 1953 and professed her first vows in 1955. Sister Regina earned her R.N. from St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1952; her B.S.N. from the Catholic University in Washington, DC in 1959; and her M.S.N. from Villanova University in 1960. She ministered primarily in nursing/healthcare and administration.  Over the years Sister Regina received numerous awards for her work in the healthcare field.

Sister Regina ministered for 10 years in the Diocese of Harrisburg as vice president of mission and ministry and later as a volunteer in the archives at St. Joseph Hospital in Lancaster. Her work in the Diocese of Allentown included serving for seven years as the director of nursing at St. Joseph Hospital in Reading. She also served as administrator of St. Francis Hospital in the Diocese of Wilmington for four years.

Sister Regina ministered for 22 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She first served as a supervisor at St. Mary’s Hospital in Philadelphia, then as manager of special projects with Franciscan Health Systems.  Later in life she volunteered at Our Lady of Angels Convent in Aston.  In 2007 Sister Regina moved to Assisi House, the congregation’s retirement residence in Aston, where she served in prayer and hospitality ministry until her death.

Additional ministry included serving as provincial for the congregation for seven years in the former Southern Province within the Archdiocese of Baltimore and serving as an EKG technician at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton.

All services will be held in Assisi House, 600 Red Hill Road, Aston, Pennsylvania, 19014 on Thursday, December 5.  A Christian Wake Service will be held at 9:30 A.M. followed by viewing. Mass of Christian Burial at will be at 11 A.M. Burial will be in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Aston. Sister Regina is survived by her sister-in-law, Jane Lanahan, nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews, and by her Franciscan family. Donations in her name can be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.

Read Sister Regina’s memorial write-up.