Sister Mary Rebecca, RSM
Sister Mary Rebecca, RSM
West Milford, W.Va.
Sister Mary Rebecca, RSM, died on July 11, 2023, at Maplewood of Bridgeport Care Center in Bridgeport, W.Va. Services will be held at Amos Carvelli Funeral Home in Nutter Fort, W.Va., at 10 a.m. Friday, July 14, by the Rev. Kumar Reddimasu. Burial will be at the Sardis Cemetery in Clarksburg. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 13, at the Amos Carvelli Funeral Home. A rosary will be prayed at 7:30 p.m.
Sister Mary Rebeccca was born on Jan. 2, 1932, in Salem, W.Va. the daughter of late Kester and Marcella Robey Fidler. She attended West Milford Public School in West Milford, W.Va., and graduated from Unidis High School in West Milford in 1950. She received a B.S. degree from Salem College in Salem, W.Va., in 1954 and received a Medical Technology Certificate from St. Mary’s Hospital, School of Technology in Clarksburg, W.Va., in 1956.
Sister Mary Rebecca entered the Cedar Rapids Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas in 1960. She received a Ph.D. in human development from the University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa in 1971.
Sister Mary Rebecca was an instructor at Mercy Hospital and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids from 1964-1975 and again from 1979-1980 after caring for her mother in West Milford. From 1980-1986 She was Director of Applied Healing at Salem College and from 1986-1989 Provost and Dean of Faculty at Salem College. Sister continued her ministry in the health and wellness field and was passionate about caring for those who could not afford cost of medical care. In 2002 Sister Rebecca co-founded the Susan Dew Hoff Memorial Clinic in West Milford. This clinic serves the dental needs of those of low income. Sister served at it’s director and CEO from 2002-2020. This is a ministry she was most proud of and this rural community is most grateful for.
In addition to the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Mary Rebecca is survived by a brother, Joseph E. Fidler and his wife, Nancy and a sister, Rebecca A. Barnette, both of Buffalo Lake, .Va.; and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, John Fidler; and brother-in-law, Gary Barnette.
Sister Mary Rebecca was a vowed member of the Sisters of Mercy for 62 years.
Memorials may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy at 1125 Prairie Drive NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402.
Expressions of sympathy may be extended to the family at www.amoscarvelli.com. A service of Amos Carvelli Funeral Home.