Frances Rita Krumpelman, SCN, 97, (formerly Sister Maria Frances) was born May 22, 1929, in Louisville, Ky., to George and Leona (Buckman) Krumpelman. She died June 1, 2026, in Nazareth, Ky. She was a Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 76 years.
Born on the feast of St. Rita, she was baptized Frances Rita at St. Cecilia Parish in Louisville, a parish that was special to her family as her parents and maternal grandparents were married there. Her grandfather’s cousin was a pastor. Sister Frances’ three sisters and brother were all baptized there.
In 1940, when her father’s work moved the family to Carrollton, Ky., she and her siblings had to adjust to a smaller town and school. With no Catholic high school in the area, the older sisters were enrolled in the Academy at Nazareth, Ky. She graduated in 1947 and entered the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in September.
Sister Frances made perpetual vows in 1953 and was assigned to St. Raphael School, Hyde Park, Mass. where she taught seventy fifth-grade boys. Five years later she moved to Memphis to teach at Holy Name School. Sister Frances also taught grade school at Most Blessed Sacrament in Louisville. She taught Latin, French, religion and math to high schoolers at St. Vincent Academy, St. Jerome and Owensboro Catholic high schools.
While she was teaching high school she began summer study for a Master of Arts in Theology. This was during the time of Vatican II, which radically changed the Church. With a team of SCNs, Sister Frances began the parish ministry of education in the theology of Vatican II. The group met with parents, trained teachers, and set up theology sessions for adults. She continued leading religious education with adult groups and scheduling retreats at Nazareth for a few years until moving to Texas to serve as the Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Austin.
From Texas, she went to Rome, Italy for a one-year study sabbatical. During that time, she was able to shake hands with Pope John Paul II in 1985.
From 1987-1992 she worked at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago where she assisted a professor in writing projects. Her next writing project happened while serving in the surgery waiting room at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington. The hospital, founded by the SCNs in 1877, asked her to write its history. This was a challenge since she had little knowledge of the medical world, but she moved to Lexington and found the research and writing inspiring. During this time, she also served as an instructor at the Lexington Theological Seminary.
Her love of research, writing, and history was clear as she served as curator for Heritage Hall at Nazareth. Sister Frances enjoyed teaching visitors about the SCN Community and the historical buildings on campus. She also enjoyed interviewing and telling the stories of her Sisters in Community. “Living at Nazareth is grace untold,” she said.
In 2011, Sister Frances published a book covering SCN history from 1912-1924, in the series, Impelled by the Love of Christ. In the book’s dedication she wrote: To the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, whose life and ministry, two centuries, have inspired and taught us to live by the Gospel.
Sister Frances is survived by her extended family and her SCN Community.
Sister Frances arrangements:
- Visitation will be at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 4 in St. Vincent de Paul Church, Nazareth, Ky.
- Wake will follow that evening at 6:30 p.m.
- The Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday June 5 in church
- Burial will follow in the Nazareth Cemetery.
- The Mass will be live-streamed at nazareth.org/live.
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.
I have fond memories of Frances when she was Diocesan Religious Education Director in Evansville, IN. I was the Parish DRE at St. Clements in Boonville, IN. Frances called and kept encouraging me to take a trip out west to the Grand Canyon with her secretary and her. I resisted for a time, but Frances was so influential that I agreed. What a wonderful gift to have seen the Grand Canyon in about 1981! Thank you, Frances! I was/am most grateful for your encouragement! You are leaving many with happy and blessed memories here on earth!
An old African proverb maintains that “When an elder dies, a library burns to the ground.” Sr. Frances Krumpelman was a remarkable woman who had a love of Nazareth, SCN history and an extraordinary memory. She was a historian, writer, curator of the Nazareth’s Heritage Hall, a “keeper” of history and a compelling storyteller. Her knowledge of SCN history, storytelling capabilities and oratorical talents were unique and irreplaceable.
In her role as a custodian of SCN history, Sr. Frances devoted a significant amount of time studying archival evidence and primary sources of SCN history. She also had a background in theology which she used in a variety of ways as an SCN. As a storyteller, she would build a narrative by blending factual content with unique stories of the personal background and experiences of individual Sisters. She was able to present a wealth of detailed information without notes because of her remarkable memory. Her conversational manner, fascinating stories and humor always engaged an audience. Some of her presentations on the history of early SCN Mothers were fortunately archived on the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth YouTube channel.
When I think of historians who were great storytellers, I personally think of David McCullough, Dixie Hibbs (Bardstown KY), and Sister Frances Krumpelman. I could listen to each of them for endless hours. They are all gone now and the world has lost these masterful voices of history.
On a personal note, I always enjoyed my conversations with Sr. Frances. Her genuine warmth, kindness, and friendliness were always present and appreciated. I am forever grateful to Sr. Frances for informing me about the passing of my friend Sr. Dolores Greenwell and arranging my housing at Nazareth for the funeral. I also appreciated working with Sr. Frances to provide Nazareth with artifacts, photos, and a personal album related to former Spalding University President Sr. Eileen Egan, SCN. Eileen was a longtime, close friend of Dr. Nora Liu, a former faculty member at Nazareth College (1961-1968). Sr. Frances was informative and humorous as usual and I was pleased to deliver Nora’s unique personal donations to Nazareth.
Frances was such an inspiration to me, a walking encyclopedia of Nazareth history. I could listen to her talk about it for hours. I loved the picture of her in the video with her classmates under the long-gone rose arbor; it brought back memories of my own Academy days standing beneath it. Rest well in God’s arms, Frances; you have earned it!
Frances was a loving aunt and a guiding light throughout the time that we shared together. She continues to inspire me.
What a beautiful reflection of her life