Sister Alberta Marie Karp Snd

1919 - 2016

Sister Alberta Marie Karp, SND
October 14, 1919 – March 27, 2016
Oakland
Sister Alberta Marie Karp, a Sister of Notre Dame for 78 years, died peacefully at Highland Hospital in Oakland. Born in San Francisco to Robert and Gertrude Heinz Karp, Alberta grew up in St. Anthony Parish and attended Notre Dame High School, San Francisco. She entered the Notre Dame Community in 1937.
Although Sr. Alberta never wanted to be a teacher, she became an exceptional one, and considered her 60 years in the classroom to be one of the greatest blessings in her life. She loved seeing the difference it made when children received the attention, affection and discipline they needed. Jim Lucchesi, one of Sr. Alberta's 40 energetic primary grade students at Notre Dame in Chico, still remembers her as a very positive, nurturing educator.
Sister taught in three states and in twelve different elementary schools, including St. Lucy in Campbell, Immaculate Heart in Belmont and Mission Dolores in San Francisco. She later volunteered at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Redwood City, where principal, Teresa Anthony said, "It is her gentleness with the children and her positive attitude that were such valuable additions; the children thoroughly enjoyed her helping them with reading, language arts and math." Even in her 90s, she continued to tutor a few students in phonics.
While living in the Province Center community, Sister enjoyed visiting assisted-living residents at Ralston Village. "She has a smile, warmth and compassion that you rarely see in people," former Executive Director, Nina Mazzo, said
One of her greatest joys was helping in the early 1990s to raise her beloved grandnephews – Jesse, Shane, Corey, Rich and Dominic. When two of them later became part of a Rock band in L.A., Great Aunt Alberta remained their biggest fan.
Sister is predeceased by her sisters, Agatha Dietlin, Gertrude Beyer, Beatrice Kurpinsky, Bernadette Kurpinsky, her brothers, Ralph and Robert Karp, and her grand-nephews, Jesse Dee Beecher, Dennis and Gary Keane. She will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by her sister, Clarice Keane Watson, 44 nieces & nephews, 96 grandnieces & nephews, 116 great-grand nieces & nephews, and 4 great-great-grand nieces and nephews, many friends, former students and her Sisters of Notre Dame.
Mass will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, at Cunningham Chapel at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont. Interment at 1:00 p.m. on April 27, at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma.
Memorial contributions may be made to Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, 1520 Ralston Avenue, Belmont, CA 94002 or online at snddenca.org.


View the online memorial for Sister Alberta Marie  Karp, SND