Sister Bernice Coreil died at Seton Residence in Evansville, Indiana, on May 25, 2026. Sister was born on February 13, 1929 in New Orleans, Louisiana and was one of three children of Jules Otis and Bernice (Ranson) Coreil. Sister graduated from Joseph Kohn High School in 1945 and entered the Daughters of Charity in St. Louis, Missouri in 1953.
After initial formation, Sister Bernice received a B.S. in Business Administration from Regis College in Denver, Colorado, an M.A. in Health Care Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and an Honorary Doctorate from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. Sister served as Business Manager at Hotel Dieu in El Paso, Texas, Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama and St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She continued her service in Administration at East End Memorial Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama and Hotel Dieu Hospital in New Orleans.
Sister was called to leadership for the Daughters of Charity as a Councillor and Visitatrix at Marillac Provincialate in St. Louis. She then served at the Daughters of Charity National Health System (DCNHS) as a Special Projects Consultant, Senior Vice President of Systems Integration, and Executive Assistant to the President. While at DCNHS, Sister Bernice served on the Board of the Catholic Health Association, including a year as CHA’s Board Chair from 1989 to 1990.
Following her time as Chair, Sister completed her most prominent public work as she advocated with CHA in the 1990s for healthcare reform during the Clinton-Gore Administration, all in an effort to confront the rising costs of healthcare for both providers and patients and solve the problem of a widening gap in health insurance and health coverage.
She continued her ministry with Ascension Health in Clayton, Missouri as Senior Executive Advisor to the President and CEO. In 2024, Sister began to serve in the Ministry of Prayer in St. Louis and then, continued to serve in Evansville, Indiana, until the time of her death.
A Wake Service was held on Thursday, May 28 in the Seton Chapel. The Mass of Christian took place the following day, with burial at at St. Joseph Cemetery.
Sister Bernice was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Lucy Mae Cantelli and she is survived by her sister, Ruth Ann Gilly, many loving family members, her Sisters in Community and many friends.