Sr. Paula (Corrine Helen), Huecker, SFP

Huecker, Sr. Paula (Corrine Helen), our dear Sister, passed into the heart of God on the morning of May 24^th, 2021 at the age of 77 in her 60^th Jubilee year. Born in Sidney, Ohio to the late Paul and Theresa Schlater Huecker, she was the fifth of six children. She joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in 1961 after graduating from Anna Local High School in Anna, Ohio. She was a graduate of St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Dayton. Nursing was a perfect fit for her as she was a giver of life. She spent most of her nursing ministry in the small semi-rural hospital of Our Lady of Bellefonte in Ashland, Kentucky, where her passion for nursing could be nurtured by the kind and friendly people of the area. She appreciated the simplicity of the setting which fostered her love for nature and the outdoors, which she considered her great teachers on life. In 2004, she relocated to Cincinnati and took on the ministry of Care Coordinator/Community Minister for her fellow sick and elderly Sisters in Mercy Franciscan Terrace. She considered the ministry a privilege and gave her best to each individual. In 2013, when the Terrace closed, she and her dear friend Anne Cabanas, were instrumental in smoothly transferring the remaining Sisters to a new nursing section for their care at St. Clare Convent. The two of them created a non-institutional, home-like setting where the Sisters could experience a foretaste of heaven on earth. In 2018, due to chronic health issues, she needed to step aside from the ministry she loved. In most recent years, she was a quieting presence to many, continued to do good deeds for others, enjoyed the wonder and beauty of nature, appreciated feeding her soul in quiet and reflection and bore up to whatever came her way by God’s grace. Her life witnessed to simplicity, patience, resilience, and above all the ongoing love of God and neighbor. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers Edward and William and her sisters Madonna and Carol. She will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by her Sisters: the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, her brother Robert, in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, especially Jane Kouns. A Wake and Liturgy of Resurrection will be held on Saturday, May 29^th at St. Clare Chapel. The service will be livestreamed on Facebook at Franciscan Sisters of the Poor/US Area at 10am. In lieu of flowers, kindly direct donations in her memory to: Franciscan Ministries Inc., 110 Compton Road, Cincinnati, OH 45215 or at www.franciscanministriesinc.org.