Sister Nancy Wittwer SL

Sister Nancy (formerly Sister Richard Anne) Wittwer SL died May 4, 2026, at the Loretto Living Center on the grounds of Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx, Ky. She was 92 and in her 75th year as a Sister of Loretto. Her love and care for the natural world and all life led to her dedicated, tireless work on behalf of Earth over many decades. The daughter of Louise (Renz) and Hugh Wittwer, she was born Feb. 13, 1934, in St. Louis and baptized Nancy Elizabeth. She was received into the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross Dec. 8, 1951. Sr. Nancy earned a bachelor’s degree in education, with a minor in mathematics, in 1962 from Loretto Heights College in Denver and a master’s in mathematics in 1968 from St. Louis University.

Sr. Nancy grew up in St. Stephen Parish in St. Louis. A proud graduate of Nerinx Hall, class of 1951, Sr. Nancy returned to her alma mater to teach mathematics and computer studies from 1962-1965 and again from 1973-1995. Sr. Nancy helped foster several collaborative projects in the St. Louis Archdiocese, including co-founding Marian Middle School in South St. Louis. It was Sr. Nancy who asked the pivotal question, “What about the girls?,” a moment of clarity that helped lead to the creation of the all-girl, family-focused, faith-based school now known for “educating girls for life.”

During her years in St. Louis, Sr. Nancy also worked with Habitat for Humanity’s Women’s Build; was a founding member of the Intercommunity Ecological Council of Women Religious; served on the administrative staff for the Sisters of Loretto through the St. Louis Staff Office (1991-1992 and 1995-2006); founded Loretto Earth Network and served as its coordinator (1995-2006); and continued her ministry as an advocate for Earth (2007-2017). Elsewhere, she taught for 16 years in parish and secondary schools in Illinois and Colorado.

In 2017, Sr. Nancy moved to Loretto Motherhouse, where she continued her engagement in care of the Earth through leadership on Motherhouse committees and by living out the Loretto Constitutions’ call to “extend the boundaries of learning and justice.”

Sr. Nancy outlived her immediate family. She is survived by her nieces and nephews: Diane (Ralph) Pahls of Beloit, Kan.; William (Ruth) Dunivin of Orange, Calif.; Steven (Anny) Dunivin of Redlands, Calif.; Helen (Len) Espinda of Prescott, Ariz.; Richard Dunivin of Riverside, Calif.; Sheila Dunivin of Riverside, Calif.; and Cindy (Greg) Renz Carter of St. Louis. Sr. Nancy’s funeral will take place at 10 a.m EST, Thursday, May 7, at Loretto Motherhouse, with a green burial to follow at Our Lady of Sorrows Cemetery on the Motherhouse grounds.

Memorials may be made to the Sisters of Loretto for our mission, c/o Loretto Motherhouse, 430 Academy Lane, Nerinx, KY 40049 or as an online gift at www.lorettocommunity.org