Eleanor Willett, SCN, 90 (formerly Sister Etheldreda) was born August 28, 1933, in Fancy Farm, Kentucky, to James Judson Willett and Mary Benita Merritt Willett. She died on November 29, 2023, in Nazareth, Kentucky. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 69 years.

When Sister Eleanor joined the SCN Community, several of her family members were also Sisters of Charity of Nazareth: her aunt Sister Rita Ann Willett, and her cousins, Sister Clara Willett and Sister Rachel Willett.

Sister Eleanor’s earliest ministries were in education. She taught primary grades in Newport News, Va; Memphis, Tenn; Louisville, KY and Bardstown, KY. She served as a teacher for over 20 years.

In 1981, Sister Eleanor began a new career in health care. She became a nurse’s aide at Nazareth Home in Louisville. After earning her license as an LPN, she returned to Nazareth Home, where she ministered to Sisters and other residents until 2007. She then began working as an LPN at the Motherhouse at Nazareth. She also volunteered for patient care and the Mini Shop at Nazareth.

She served her SCN Community in the communications office, developing the SCN News. She also served in the Vocations Office. She often baked for her Sisters, a skill she learned from her mother and father.

She is survived by her brothers, William Elmer Willett and Joseph Merritt Willett, and her sister Diane Carol Greifenkamp, her extended family, and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

An Honor Guard will form in front of the Motherhouse at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, December 1. Sister Eleanor’s Wake Service will begin at 9 a.m. The Funeral Mass will follow at 10:30 a.m. All will be held at St. Vincent Church, Nazareth, KY. Burial will follow in the Nazareth Cemetery.

Funeral Arrangements are being handled by Houghlin Greenwell Funeral Home, 1475 New Shepherdsville Road, Bardstown, Ky. 40004. Memorials may be offered to the Office of Mission Advancement, PO Box 9, Nazareth, Ky., 40048.