Sr. Margaret Smith dies at 88, remembered as 'angel in white'

April 20, 2009
By Liz Shaw

News began to travel throughout St. Joseph's Area Health Services Monday morning. Sr. Margaret Smith, who dedicated 62 years of her life to God and His healing mission for the people of the Park Rapids service region, died Sunday.

Her passing came only eight months after moving to the Sisters of the Crookston Diocese to retire.

Despite heavy hearts, tears and hugs, the pulse of care at St. Joseph's continued to address urgent needs of patients.

Dr. Jane Churchill dashed through the corridors between the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to care for a critical patient. Internist Dr. Larry Leadbetter and staff in ICU were on high alert monitoring patient vitals. Chaplain Randy Hachfeld counseled family members of a patient in crisis nearby.

The work that Sr. Margaret and a handful of nuns from the Crookston Diocese initially established in 1946 was being carried out at every turn in St. Joseph's -- on every floor, in every patient room, procedure room or exam room. Often referred to as an "angel in white" by patients and affectionately referred to as "Trouble" by many of her friends and co-workers, Sr. Margaret spent her lifetime dedicated to St. Joseph's mission, a tradition held dear by today's professionals.

As St. Joseph's President/CEO, Ben Koppelman says Sr. Margaret embodied St. Joseph's core values: reverence, integrity, compassion and excellence.

She never missed a day of work in her 62 years at St. Joseph's.

Chapel dedication

Accompanying the hustle of patient treatment was the hum of a vacuum in the nearby hospital chapel. Having just undergone renovation, the chapel awaited final decorator touches including seating for guests, altar furnishings and a special plaque denoting its new honorary title: The Sr. Margaret Smith Chapel.

St. Joseph's planned to surprise Sr. Margaret with a big reveal during a return visit in conjunction with the upcoming building project and renovation open house on June 14.

Chaplain Hachfeld said that while everyone has been saddened upon hearing the news, her memory also stirs some powerfully uplifting images as well.

"The moment we feel deeply sad, we recall many stories of how Sister could brighten any room simply by walking through the door," he says. "She was a gift to this community, the hospital, and her sister colleagues. She touched so many peoples' hearts during her years here."

Dedication

Sr. Margaret was a New Year baby, born Jan. 1, 1921. She was the first in her Belgium family of nine (all deceased) to be born in the US. Upon entrance to the Sisterhood, she took the name of Sr. Marie Gertrude and later took back her birth name once that was allowed. She worked to help open St. Joseph's Hospital in 1946. She did everything that was asked of her from changing beds to keeping the furnace going. She worked in lab, imaging, surgery, and even served as administrator.

In 2001, Sr. Margaret was honored as Minnesota's Outstanding Older Worker.

During a retirement interview, Sr. Margaret didn't hesitate for a moment when asked what she had learned over the course of a lifetime dedicated to service. "I learned about the power of prayer and the power of touch," she said. For someone who had seen technologies explode with advancements throughout the years, some truths remained constant. She instinctively knew a gesture so simple as holding someone's hand held tremendous value.

Cynthia Rooney, St. Joseph's Communication/Development Manager, worked with Sr. Margaret in her role as guest liaison during her final years at St. Joseph's. It was in this role that one could see Sr. Margaret's gifts in their most splendid form.

"If you had the opportunity to visit with Sr. Margaret, give her a hug or just exchange a brief greeting, your day was brighter," says Rooney. "It was a great privilege to work with her. She was one in a million and to many of us here a second mother. The greatest compliment I could give Sister is to tell her she used her heart well."

Rooney remembers Sr. Margaret possessing a natural instinct to give to those who needed it the most. And, no matter how hard one might try to give to Sister in return, you always received more that you gave. Always.

Prior to her leaving Park Rapids, Fr. Dennis Wieland of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church had this to say: "Her heart radiates the compassion of Christ for the sick and suffering. Her warm smile helps others to know their dignity as a human person. Anyone who has met Sr. Margaret walks away having had a wonderful experience of God's love."

Services

A prayer service will be held for Sr. Margaret at 11 a.m. Friday, April 24, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception located at 702 Summit Ave. in Crookston. Visitation will immediately follow the prayer service followed by a funeral mass at 2 p.m.

An ecumenical prayer service celebrating the life of Sr. Margaret will be held from 1-2 p.m. Friday, May 1, at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Park Rapids.