Obituary of Mary Denise Linehan CSJ

Sr. Mary Denise Linehan CSJ Latham-Sister Mary Denise Linehan, CSJ (Sister Mary Denis), 91, died Monday, March 23, 2020 at St. Joseph's Provincial House, Latham. She had been a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for the past 70 years. Sister Mary Denise, the former Mary Jane Linehan, was born in Albany, NY, on December 28, 1928, daughter of the late Denis and Irene Russom Linehan. After graduating from Mechanicville High School, she worked at Montgomery Wards in Menands. On March 19, 1950, Sister Mary Denise entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Troy, NY, and professed final vows on August 15, 1957. Sister Mary Denise received a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master's degree in education, both from The College of Saint Rose. For 33 years, she served in the field of education in schools of the Albany and Syracuse Dioceses as classroom teacher, computer lab coordinator and catechetical instructor. Sister Mary Denise also was a pastoral minister in the Los Angeles Archdiocese and worked in the Treasurer's Office at St. Joseph's Provincial House. In her retirement years, she volunteered at the Roarke Center in Troy and the Carondelet Shoppe in Latham. Sister Mary Denise was a woman whose focus was on faith, family, community and friends. As a very young girl, she learned how to knit from her mother, a skill that brought her lifelong happiness and provided family and friends with treasured works of art; each recipient knew that her love was woven into every stitch. Sister Mary Denise also enjoyed simple visits with family and friends and vacationing at her brother's camp at Hedges Lake in Cambridge, NY. She was a dedicated Sister of St. Joseph who reflected the call of the congregation to bring God's unifying and reconciling love to the world, and she did so with gentleness and joy. Sister Mary Denise is survived by her sister, Helen DeVito; her nieces and nephews and their families, with special mention of Susan, Tom and Colin Beaumont; and the Sisters of St. Joseph. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Robert Linehan. Due to the present health concerns and in keeping with the directives of the CDC and the NYS Department of Health as well as the Albany Diocesan guidelines, there will be no public visitation or funeral services for Sister Mary Denise at this time. A Memorial Mass will be scheduled at a later date. For directions, information or to light a memory candle for the family please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com.