Sister Rose Finnerty CSJ

Finnerty, Sister Rose CSJ ONEONTA, N.Y. Sister Rose Finnerty, CSJ (Sister John Patrick), 77, died Monday, September 22, 2008, in Oneonta. Sister Rose had been a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for 57 years. Sister Rose was born in Williamstown, N.Y. on August 17, 1931, daughter of the late Joseph Peter and Rose Murray Finnerty. She graduated from St. Aloysius Academy, Rome, N.Y., and entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph on March 19, 1951. Sister Rose received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from The College of Saint Rose and completed her graduate studies in education at SUNY/Oswego. For 25 years, Sister Rose taught in elementary schools in the Albany and Syracuse Dioceses and, for 28 years, she served as a special-education teacher at Pathfinder Village, Edmeston, N.Y. For the past two years, Sister Rose visited patients at A.O. Fox Hospital, Oneonta. Growing up on the family farm near Rome instilled in Sister Rose a deep and abiding appreciation of nature and a reverence for God's creation, especially shown in the blooming flowers of color and the fields of golden corn in central N.Y. A dedicated, energetic and compassionate special-education teacher, Sister Rose enjoyed working with children and adults alike, and found her years at Pathfinder Village especially rewarding and fulfilling. Sister Rose's reserved nature belied an underlying strength of character, a keen sense of humor and a fun-loving spirit. Sister Rose is survived by two sisters, Sister Rosita Joseph Finnerty CSJ, and Sister Theresa Marie Finnerty CSJ, both of Latham, N.Y.; by many cousins and friends; and by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Sister Rose's funeral Liturgy will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 26, at St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Church, 24 North Main Street, New Berlin, N.Y. Interment will be Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Our Lady Queen of Virgins Cemetery on the grounds of St. Joseph's Provincial House, Latham. Calling hours will be held on Thursday, September 25 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home, 14 Grand Street, Oneonta. Contributions in Sister Rose's memory may be made to the Development Office of the Sisters of St. Joseph, 385 Watervliet-Shaker Road, Latham, NY 12110. Arrangements are by the Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home, Oneonta. Condolences to the family may be made online by visiting our website: grummonsfuneralhome.com