A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Mary Anne Brawley, D.C., was celebrated June 10, 2015, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Binghamton, N.Y. Burial was held June 11 at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands, N.Y., following a prayer service at the chapel of DePaul House in Albany, N.Y. Sister Mary Anne died at home in Binghamton June 6, 2015, at 81 years of age.
Born May 19, 1934, in Elizabeth, N.J., Sister Mary Anne was one of three children born to Henry and Beatrice Brawley. She graduated from Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth in 1952. Sister earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Md., in 1957; her master’s degree in library science from St. John’s University in Jamaica, N.Y., in 1966; and her master’s degree in education administration and supervision at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1979.
Sister Mary Anne entered the Daughters of Charity in January 1955. She was a member of St. Genevieve Parish in Elizabeth when she entered. Sister recently celebrated 60 years of vocation as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
Sister Mary Anne’s ministry as a teacher took her to Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Washington, D.C. (1956 to 1961); Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Md. (1961 to 1963); Seton Catholic High School in Endicott, N.Y. from 1963 to 1976 (Sister Mary Anne also served as the local superior in Endicott from 1970 to 1976); and McCloskey High School in Albany (1976 to 1978). In 1978, Sister was missioned to Sisters Hospital in Buffalo during which time she worked toward her master’s degree at Canisius College. She then was missioned to St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Elizabeth (1979 to 1982), and served as the local superior there. In 1982, Sister joined the Kennedy Center in New York, N.Y. (1982 to 1984). She then was missioned to DePaul Provincial House in Albany in 1984. She served as Sister Servant (local superior) there from 1988 to 1991. Sister then moved to St. Vincent’s House in Albany and served as Sister Servant there from 1991 to 1994. Sister Mary Anne was missioned to Sacred Heart Residence in Cohoes, N.Y. (1994 to 1998). In 1998, Sister Mary Anne was missioned to Clark House in Binghamton where she was assigned to Lourdes Hospital and served as full-time chair of the hospital board for 14 years and as local superior from 2005 to 2011. While at Lourdes, Sister Mary Anne applied her skills and quickly learned the unique language of healthcare. She endeared herself to physicians, associates and all of the families she came to know in the Triple cities. In 2012, Sister was missioned to Sister’s Residence in Buffalo where she served as local superior until 2014 when Sister Mary Anne returned to Clark House in Binghamton.
Sister Mary Anne was preceded in death by her brother Henry “Duke” Brawley. Sister Mary Anne is survived by her sister Noreen (Jack) Bamford of Rhode Island; her nieces: Colleen (Mark) Wamback, Patricia Bamford (Alin Bennett), and Elizabeth (Jeff) Elliott, all from Rhode Island. Sister also is survived by her many Sisters in the Community of the Daughters of Charity.
To honor her many years as an educator in Binghamton and Endicott, a memorial contribution in Sister Mary Anne’s name may be made to the Sister Mary Anne Brawley Scholarship Fund at Seton Catholic Central, 70 Seminary Avenue, Binghamton, N.Y., 13905.