Sister Marilyn Perkins died on December 7, 2024, at St. Louise House in Albany, New York. Sister Marilyn was born on July 21, 1939, in Middleboro, Massachusetts. She was the second of four children of Arthur and Rose (Powers) Perkins. Sister graduated from Middleboro High School in 1957 and then received her Diploma in Nursing from Catherine Labouré School of Nursing in Boston, Massachusetts in 1960.
She entered the Daughters of Charity in 1961 in Emmitsburg, Maryland. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Nursing from St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg in 1964 and a Master’s in Nursing from Yale University in 1973.
Sister Marilyn’s ministry has been in the healthcare field most of her life. She served in Daughters of Charity Hospitals in Pensacola, Florida; Buffalo, New York; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Pottsville, Pennsylvania; Binghamton, New York; and Gould and Dumas, Arkansas. She also served in a homecare nursing in South Boston, Massachusetts.
She was called to go to Thailand in 1980 to work for Catholic Relief Services during the Cambodian Refugee crisis. This led to her great efforts to resettle families in the United States and to deep and lasting friendships.
Sister served in leadership roles in her Community of the Daughters of Charity. She was part of the Provincial team as Health Councillor for nine years and served as Local Community Superior in several communities of Sisters.
Over the years, she also served on boards at Mt. St. Mary’s Hospital, Lewiston, New York; Catholic Health System, Buffalo, New York.; Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans; and the national Ascension Health. In later years, she served as pastoral associate to Holy Family Parish in Niagara Falls, New York.
Some health challenges required her to transfer to the Sisters’ retirement facility, St. Louise House, Albany, New York in May of 2022. There she served in the Ministry of Prayer until her death.
A wake service was held for Sister Marilyn on December 15 and the funeral Mass took place on December 16 in the DePaul Chapel, Menand Road in Albany. Interment followed at St. Agnes Cemetery, Albany.
Sister was predeceased by her parents, her sister Eileen Haggerty and by her brother John. She is survived by her sister, Kathleen Dutil of South Carolina, and several devoted nieces and nephews.
She will be greatly missed by them all and by refugee families she helped to resettle, who consider her a loved family member, and also by numerous friends and her Sisters in the Community of the Daughters of Charity.