A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Mavis Jewell, D.C., was held August 20, 2019, at the Daughters of Charity DePaul House Chapel, Albany, N.Y. Burial followed at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands, N.Y. Sister Mavis died August 13, 2019, at St. Louise House Residence in Albany, N.Y. She was 85 years of age and 60 years vocation as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., July 24, 1934, and raised in Ireland, Sister Mavis (baptized Margaret Mavis) was one of three children born to Charles Sidney and Margaret Mary (O’Donovan) Jewell. Sister Mavis entered the Daughters of Charity in April of 1959.
Sister Mavis earned her diploma while in Ireland in 1950. In 1965, Sister Mavis earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Md., and her Master of Science Degree from Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn., in 1973.
Following initial formation, Sister Mavis entered the nursing program at St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Md., (1961 to 1963); then, she was missioned to U.S. Soldiers’ Home Hospital, Washington, D.C., where she served as a Nurse (1963 to 1968). Sister Mavis was next missioned to Bridgeport, Conn., where she served as a Nurse at St. Vincent Hospital (1968 to 1975); then, she spent one year as a student at Marillac College in St. Louis, Mo., (1975 to 1976). In 1976, Sister Mavis was missioned up East, where for the next 27 years she served in Health Care at the following hospitals and residences: Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton, N.Y., (1976 to 1977); Kennedy Child Study Center, New York, N.Y., (1977 to 1978); Carney Hospital, Boston, Mass., (1978 to 1981); DePaul Provincial House, Albany, N.Y., (1981 to 1997); and Good Samaritan Residence, Pottsville, Pa., (1997 to 2003). In 2003, Sister Mavis was missioned to St. Peter’s Hospital, Albany, N.Y., where she served as a Special Projects Coordinator (2003 to 2018). In 2017, Sister Mavis, as its strongest advocate, was recognized for her efforts with the naming of the first medical respite program in the capital region, the Sister Mavis Jewell Respite Care, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Troy, N.Y.; a program that addresses the needs of hospitalized homeless patients who require recuperative care following discharge. In 2019, Sister served as a Volunteer in Albany, where she served until her death.
Sister Mavis spent more than 50 years serving others, both as a Daughter of Charity and as a registered nurse. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, she helped resettle Vietnamese refugees in Pennsylvania. When Lithuania achieved independence in 1990, the first republic to break free from the Soviet Union, she helped hospitals get badly needed equipment and supplies. Sister Mavis was also gratefully known at St. Peter’s Hospital for orchestrating prayer services and printing prayer cards when any of the St. Peter’s family suffered a loss.
Sister Mavis was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Charles Frank Jewell; her sister-in-law, Ruby Jewell; and nephew, Danny Jewell. Sister Mavis is survived by her brother Donal V. Jewell (Kathleen); nieces and nephews: Leonila “Ning” Jewell, wife of Danny Jewell; Maureen Moore (Michael); Eileen Jewell; Doreen Jewell; Charles “Chuck” Jewell (Denise); Teresa Jewell, Michael Jewell (Janet), James “Jimmy” Jewell; and David Jewell. She is also survived by her Sisters in Community and many friends.