Sister Anne Marie Kollasch, PBVM

Sister Anne Marie Kollasch, PBVM, 100, died on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at Mount Loretto Motherhouse, 2360 Carter Road, Dubuque IA.

Funeral Services will be Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 10:30 am at Sacred Heart Chapel, Sisters of the Presentation, with burial in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Key West. Friends may call from 4:00-7:00 pm on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at Sacred Heart Chapel, where there will be a vigil service at 7:00 pm.

Sister Anne Marie, daughter of Charles and Anne (Laubenthal) Kollasch, was born Margaret Barbara Kollasch on March 4, 1919, in Whittemore IA. She entered the Sisters of the Presentation from Whittemore IA on September 8, 1940 and professed her perpetual vows on June 10, 1946.

Sister received a Bachelor of Arts from Loras College, Dubuque IA. Her ministry of teaching grades 4-8 took her to Mason City, St. Columbkille of Dubuque, Key West, Waukon, Charles City and Algona, all in Iowa.

Sister Anne Marie was the oldest member of the Dubuque Presentation community at the time of her death and is the longest-lived Kollasch on record as of her birthday in March of 2019. After her retirement in 1993 she volunteered at the Dubuque Nursing and Rehab Center, sharing her gifts in service of the gospel for many years. In 2015, she celebrated her 75h Jubilee. She devoted her days to prayer and the enjoyment of art, history, politics, needle work, culinary arts and connecting with family and friends. She enjoyed time spent with her Presentation Sisters and conversing with staff who were part of the rich texture of her daily life.

Earlier this spring, Sister Anne Marie noted that while the process of aging is challenging, it gave her time to reflect on her experiences. She was grateful for a life that was not only long but also deeply meaningful. She wrote in her autobiography, A Kollasch Collage, “I am ever aware of the ‘hundredfold’ that is mine as God’s beloved,” adding that she is always thankful for the support of family, friends and religious community throughout her life.

Surviving are her sisters, Delores Kollasch, Sister Joann Kollasch, OSB, Irene Bormann (Harold deceased) and sister-in-law Betty Ann (Louis deceased) Kollasch; nieces, nephews, and the Sisters of the Presentation with whom she shared her life for 79 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Caroline (Clarence) Bormann and her brothers Reverend Eugene Kollasch, SJ, Arnold (Lorene), Louis and Clement (Mary Helen).

The Leonard Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Sisters of the Presentation, 2360 Carter Road, Dubuque, IA 52001 or online at: www.dubuquepresentations.org.

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