Mercy Sister Diane Grassilli, who chaired the board of directors of one of the nation's largest hospital systems and was instrumental in shaping the future of the Sisters of Mercy community throughout the West and Midwest, died July 16 of cancer. She was 56.

A funeral Mass for the president of the Sisters of Mercy in the Burlingame region, which covers California and Arizona, was celebrated July 26 at Our Lady of Angels Church in Burlingame.

"She was a rare combination of the visionary and the realist," said Mercy Sister Carolyn Krohn, a member of the Burlingame regional leadership team. "She saw clearly how to find common ground to bring people together and what practical steps were necessary to accomplish our goals."

From 2002 to 2005, Sister Diane chaired the board of Catholic Healthcare West, a system of 41 hospitals and medical centers in California, Arizona and Nevada. It is the eighth largest hospital system in the country and the largest not-for-profit health care provider in California.

She was director of mission services for Mercy Health System in Burlingame, 1985-86; director of mission services for Catholic Healthcare West, 1986-89; and assistant to the president of Catholic Healthcare West, Richard Kramer, 1989-1997.

In addition to her work with Catholic Healthcare West, she was part of the leadership of the Mercy Sisters in Burlingame since 1997 and was formerly a corporate member of the nationwide Mercy Housing Inc.

"She quickly grasped the core of complex issues and was able to move others along a path to decision," said Mercy Sister Lillian Murphy, CEO of Mercy Housing. "She managed efficiently, delegated well, instinctively understood people, and charmed those who worked with her."

Born in San Francisco in 1949, Sister Diane attended Mercy High School and Russell College in Burlingame. After she entered the Sisters of Mercy, she returned to the high school to teach English and religion and to serve as activities director and dean of students.

She also was a talented graphic artist, who designed the Tree of Life stained-glass window in the Marian Care Chapel at the Mercy campus in Burlingame.

Sister Diane's survivors include her mother, Marie, and brother, Bob.

---CNS

Fr. Fergus Lickteig, O.Carm.
Funeral Mass was held July 14 at St. John the Baptist Church in Greeley, Kansas, for Carmelite Father Fergus Jerome Lickteig, a former Crespi High School principal, who died July 8 in Olathe, Kansas. He was 78.

A native of Greeley, Fr. Lickteig attended St. John the Baptist School and entered the Carmelite Order at Mount Carmel Preparatory Seminary at Niagara Falls, Ontario, in 1944. Following his ordination in 1955, he began his teaching career at Joliet Catholic High School in Joliet, Illinois.

From 1973-76, he served as principal at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino and, in 1977, received a Master's in Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. After serving as director of ongoing formation for his Province and the Carmelite Novice Director in Middletown, N.Y., he returned to parish work in Kansas until his retirement in 2001.

Sr. Florida Hinse, SP
Funeral Mass was held July 11 at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle for Sister of Providence Florida Hinse, 91, who died July 7. She had been a member of her religious community for 71 years.

The sixth child of a Canadian family of 14 children, Sister Hinse entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Providence in Montreal in 1935. She received a nursing degree and served for 38 years in nursing ministry, 18 years as an operating room supervisor.

In Burbank, she served as a staff nurse at St. Joseph Medical Center and the Esther Pariseau Pavilion (1969-78). She received a Pastoral Care Certificate from St. Joseph Hospital in 1978.

Memorial donations to support the ministries of the Sisters of Providence may be sent to Sisters of Providence, Office of Development, 9 East 9th Ave., Spokane, WA 99202-1209.

Sr. Mary Ann Evans, BVM
Funeral services were held recently in Dubuque, Iowa, for Sister of Charity Mary Ann Evans, 73, who died June 12 at Marian Hall.

Born in Kansas, Sister Evans entered the BVM congregation in 1950. Locally, she taught at Our Lady of Lourdes, Tujunga (1964-70); Holy Family, Glendale (1970-81); and St. Robert Bellarmine, Burbank (1981-87).

From 1988-92, she ministered in specialized home health nursing in Burbank. Memorial donations may be sent to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund, 1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, IA, 52003.

Catherine Benson
Funeral Mass was held July 19 at St. Pius X Church in Santa Fe Springs for Catherine Benson, 88, who died July 15. She was the mother of Vincentian Father Richard Benson, a moral theology professor at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery and Mausoleum in Montebello.

Florence Doran
Funeral Mass was held June 23 at Our Lady of Grace Church in Encino for Florence Louise Doran, 91, who died June 20. She was the mother of Father Austin Doran, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church, and Father Brian Doran, senior priest at Holy Angels Church of the Deaf.