Sr. M. Barbara Freisen (78) died peacefully on on Monday, May 11, 2009, at  Regina Health Care Center, Richfield, Ohio, in the 59th year of religious profession.  She was born Florences A. Freisen, the daughter of Henry and Barbara Freisen. She entered Our Lady of the Elms Convent, Akron, from St. Dominic Parish in Youngstown, Ohio, on August 30, 1948.

Sr. Barbara loved working with children and was an assistant at the Our Lady of the Elms Preschool. After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Akron with a BSE in elementary and secondary education for students with special needs, she taught at Our Lady of the Elms Special Education. There her special students loved her for the interest she instilled in them in various subjects, especially in science and nature.

She became an excellent nurse after she earned her LPN from St. Joseph Hospital in Lorain, Ohio. She served her Sisters ministering to them as a nurse in the Wellness Center at the Elms Motherhouse.  With health problems that struck earlier in life, Sr. Barbara graciously changed ministries to
serve as she was able in various capacities. Her generosity of spirit extended in other ways as well – evident as she treated her Sisters to lunch, dinner, or an ice cream whenever they took her out.

She is survived by two sisters, Ann Koczwara of Poland, Ohio, and Jane Mingo of Campbell, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Thomas. 

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