Sister Kathleen (Joselle) Franklin, BVM

Sister Kathleen (Joselle) Franklin, BVM, 89, died Thursday, March 17, 2022 at Mount Carmel Bluffs in Dubuque, Iowa.

Private funeral services were held Thursday, March 24, 2022.  Burial was in the Mount Carmel Cemetery.

Sister Kathleen was an elementary teacher at St. Patrick in Cedar Falls, Iowa; and in Davenport, Iowa; and Rock Island, Ill.  She was a resource center teacher in West Hempstead, N.Y., and computer training instructor for schools on Long Island, N.Y.

She was born on June 24, 1932, in Hempstead, N.Y., to Thomas and Catherine (Halley) Franklin. She entered the BVM congregation on Sept. 8, 1955, from St. Nicholas Parish, Jamaica, N.Y. She professed first vows on Feb. 3, 1958, and final vows on July 16, 1963.

“Kathleen was a sweet, gentle, hospitable woman, a little bit shy, hard to ruffle and always willing to listen and help. She had a beautiful smile, a great sense of humor, a marvelous hearty laugh and she never lost her New York accent. She enjoyed reading, playing Scrabble and ping pong, and reportedly was an excellent chess player. She also was a good photographer and artist.” (Eulogy).

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Thomas, Charles, Edward, and Robert Franklin; and sisters Dorothy Landes, Loretta Franklin; and Sister Aimee Franklin, VHM.  She is survived by a brother Joseph Franklin, Montrose, N.Y.; a sister-in-law Rosalie Farrell, Kingston, N.Y.; nieces; nephews; and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 66 years.

Memorials may be given to Sisters of Charity, BVM Support Fund, 1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, IA 52003 or online at https://www.bvmsisters.org/support_donate.cfm.