A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Francis Louviere, D.C., was celebrated Oct. 17, 2015, at Seton Residence Chapel in Evansville, Ind. Burial followed at St. Joseph Cemetery in Evansville. Sister Francis died Oct. 15, 2015, at Seton Residence. She was 90 years of age and 70 years vocation as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
Born in Patterson, La., May 3, 1925, as Emmadel Elizabeth, Sister Francis was one of four children born to Otis Johnson and Lucille Angelina (Hebert) Louviere. Sister graduated from Terrebonne High School in Houma, La., in 1943 and entered the Daughters of Charity in St. Louis, Mo., in January of 1945.
Sister Francis earned her nursing diploma from St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago in 1949 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education from DePaul University in Chicago, in 1952.
Sister Francis served as head nurse, clinical instructor, and teacher at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind. (1949–1953). Then, for the next 37 years, Sister served at the National Hansen’s Disease Center in Carville, La., in a variety of roles (Clinical Nurse, 1953–1957; Head Nurse Psychiatry, 1957–1964; Staff Nurse, 1964–1967; Clinical Nurse, 1967–1969; Relief Nurse, 1969–1971; and Clinical Nurse Supervisor, 1971–1983). Sister next served in medical records at St. Paul Medical Center in Dallas, Texas (1983–1992). Sister Francis then began serving in parish ministry at Holy Trinity Parish in Dallas (1992–1994). She returned to Carville and served as sacristan and driver (1994–2003) before moving to New Orleans where she joined the Ministry of Prayer in 2003. While ministering in prayer, Sister also lived at Our Lady of Wisdom Healthcare Center in New Orleans (2006–2008), and after Hurricane Katrina, Naomi House outside of St. Louis (2008–2011) and Seton Residence in Evansville (2011–2015), where she lived until the time of her death.
Sister Francis was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Audrey Bourgeois and Sister Marion Louviere, O.Carm. She is survived by her sister, Gertrude LeBlanc of Gretna, La.; nieces and nephews; her Sisters in Community; and many friends.