Sister M. Therese Gottschalk's Obituary
Sister M. Therese Gottschalk, 88 years old, died on February 24,2020 at SSM Franciscan Courts, Oshkosh, WI.
Sister M. Therese was born on June 21, 1931, in Doellwang, Oberpfalz, Bavaria,Germany and was baptized the same day receiving the name Theresia. She was the second oldest of fourteen children born to Johann (a farmer) and Sabina (Dietz) Gottschalk. She had eight brothers (Johann, Paul, Heinrich, Willibald, Xavier, Karl, Valerian and Alban) and five sisters (Sabina, Fanni, Ottilia, Maria and Klara). Theresia entered the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother in Abenberg, Germany, on February 2, 1952. Theresia came to the United States on September 29, 1953, and made first vows on August 12, 1954, at Mother of Sorrows Convent, Milwaukee, WI, receiving the name Sister M. Tharsicia, later known as Sister M. Theresa. She celebrated her 60th Year Jubilee in 2012.
As a Sister of the Sorrowful Mother, Sister M. Therese served in the following ministries: Director of Pharmacy, St. Mary’s Hospital, Roswell, NM, 1960-1968; Chief Executive Officer of St. Mary’s Hospital, Roswell, NM, 1970-1974, President/CEO, St. John Medical Center, Tulsa, OK, 19741999, President/CEO, St. John’s Health System, 1982-2010 and the Marian Health System (1989-2013) when it transitioned to Ascension Health. Sister retired to SSM Franciscan Courts in Oshkosh, WI in 2019. Sister received numerous awards throughout her ministries: Creighton Alumni Merit Award, the Regent’s Award, and the OHA’s W. Cleveland Rodgers Distinguished Service Award. She was inducted into the 2011 Tulsa Hall of Fame.
In Tulsa, OK, she was known as the face of St. John Health System and within the Diocese of Tulsa. One of her greatest achievements was the establishment of the 24-hour Adoration Chapel in St. John where she spent many hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament. She saw the building of the health plaza, tunnels and overpasses that webbed the medical center to parking lots and integrated a compassionate health system. In recognition of her service, Mayor GT Bynum also proclaimed September 25, 2019 as “Sister M. Therese Gottschalk Day.”
Sister Theresa was preceded in death by her parents, four of her brothers and two of her sisters. She is survived by four living brothers and three living sisters and many nieces and nephews.
Homecoming for Sister M. Therese will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 4 PM in Franciscan Courts Chapel, 815 S Westhaven Dr., Oshkosh, WI. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 10:30 AM in the Franciscan Courts Chapel. Burial will follow in Calvary Catholic Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be sent to “In His Image”, PO Box 1191, Tulsa, OK 74101; “Catholic Medical Mission Board”, 100 Wall St floor 9, New York, NY 10005, or “Catholic Relief Services”, PO Box 17090, Baltimore, Maryland, 21297-0303.
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