Sr. Mary Kayleen Heffron

Sister Mary Kayleen Heffron, CHM, 91, died March 6, 2023, at Bishop Drumm Care Center in Johnston, IA.  Services will take place at Our Lady of Peace Chapel, Bishop Drumm Center, Thursday, March 9, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m., Visitation and 4:00 p.m., Memorial Service. At the Humility of Mary Center Magnificat Chapel on Friday, March 10, 4:00 p.m. Rosary and Visitation and 7 p.m. Vigil Service.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m., followed by burial in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Davenport, Iowa.

Mary Catherine Heffron was born April 4, 1931, in Georgetown, IA to Michael and Agnes (Murphy) Heffron.  She entered the Congregation of the Humility of Mary in 1959 and professed vows in 1962. 

Sister was an accomplished nurse, having completed her RN degree from the St. Joseph School of Nursing in Ottumwa, IA, in 1952, her Associate’s degree from Ottumwa Heights College in Ottumwa in 1962, and her BSN in nursing from St. Ambrose College in Davenport, IA, in 1963.  Sister also spent the summer of 1977 taking graduate courses at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Once her RN was completed, S Kayleen worked as a nurse in the Monroe County Hospital in Albia, Iowa.  After entering the Congregation and completing her BSN, she served at St. Joseph Hospital in Ottumwa for 23 years as a nurse, working in the operating room, the ICCU, and as an ER supervisor.  After the closure of the St. Joseph Health and Rehabilitation Center in 1987, she took a year’s sabbatical before working as an RN in the Skilled Nursing Facility and Physical Rehab Unit at the Ottumwa Regional Health Center until her retirement.  During this long medical career, she served on several hospital committees and was a member of both the Iowa Nurses’ Association and the American Nurses’ Association.

Sister enjoyed reading and traveling, whether in a tour of England, Wales, and Ireland to research and visit family, spiritual retreats in Adrian, Michigan, or enrichment living experiences in Massachusetts.  She also served on the Integration Formation Committee for the CHMs from 1988-1993. 

S. Kayleen is preceded in death by her parents, brothers John, David, and Vincent, and is survived by brothers Patrick (Linda) and Edward (Louise) Heffron, Michael, sister-in-law, Kathleen Heffron, nieces and nephews and members of her religious community.

Memorials may be made to the Congregation of the Humility of Mary.