Sister Maris Simon

Sister Maris Simon, SSND, 94, died January 19, 2026, at Benedictine Living Community - Windermere, Shakopee, Minnesota. Funeral services will be held Thursday, February 5, at Windermere Chapel, 1705 Windermere Way, Shakopee, with Visitation at 10:00 AM; Sharing of Memories at 10:30 AM; and a Funeral Liturgy at 11:00 AM. Livestreaming will be available at www.ssndcp.org/live/blc Burial in the Good Counsel Cemetery, Mankato, will be held Friday, February 6, at 2:15 PM.

Sister Maris (Regina Simon) was born in Altura, Minnesota, on May 5, 1931. She attended the local public school for grades one through eight. She enrolled in Good Counsel Academy in Mankato following eighth grade and graduated from the Academy in 1949. She entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato that same year. Music played an important role in her life as she was able to study piano, violin and organ. After profession of First Vows in 1952, she taught elementary and junior high age students in several Minnesota Catholic Schools. She also taught high school students at St. Mary's, New England, North Dakota. In addition to classroom teaching, she gave private piano lessons, directed parish choirs and accompanied parish liturgies. From 1966 through 1972, she served as liturgist for Good Counsel Convent in Mankato and taught various courses to young sisters preparing for their teaching ministry. In 1974 she was able to fulfill her dream of serving as a missionary when she moved to Kisii, Kenya to teach in St. Francis Upgrading Center. For the next 41 years she rotated between various SSND African ministry sites in the countries of Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana, and United States service until her retirement to God Counsel in 2015. She moved with other School Sisters of Notre Dame to Shakopee in 2022.

Sister Maris is survived by her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND Associates, her brother Donald, and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Beulah (Steffen) Simon, and her brother, Robert. A longer obituary and a recording of her funeral will be available at www.ssndcp.org/obituaries Memorials may be directed to the School Sisters of Notre Dame; 11 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 310; Mankato, MN 56001.