Rethinking Urban Infrastructure
August 4, 2025
Obituary written by Sister Mary Thill, OSF
Sister M. Ricarda Witt died at Rosary Care Center in Sylvania, Ohio on August 22, 2025, at the age of 101. She was one of the longest living members of the Order. The daughter of Francis and Valerie Witkowski came to the convent in Sylvania in 1938 from St. Ladislaus Parish in Hamtramck, Michigan. She attended St. Ladislaus School beginning with the third grade and came to the convent after eighth grade because she wanted to be a Sister and see “just what they did all day.”
Over the course of 81 years in religious life, Sister Ricarda did indeed find out just what a Sister did all day. She was involved in a variety of ministries, most of which took place as a teacher in elementary and secondary schools and then as principal in schools in Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan. After 42 years in education, Sister Ricarda worked as a Materials Management Analyst and as Inventory Clerk at Holy Cross Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. In her early retirement years, she became a Clerical Assistant for the Sisters in Sylvania, a Receptionist at Franciscan Care Center in Toledo, Ohio and worked in the Archives in Sylvania for 16 years where she eventually became the Co-Director. In 2020, Sister Ricarda entered the last phase of her retirement and became part of the full–time Prayer Ministry of the Sisters and was able to spend much of the day praying for the community, the country and the world with their many needs and intentions.
Considering what a Sister did all day, Sister Ricarda fondly remembered taking class trips with her high school seniors to Washington, DC, and Boston, Massachusetts. She had the privilege of making a five-week Assisi Pilgrimage and enjoyed visiting Rome and Assisi, Italy. When Pope John Paul II visited the United States in 1977 and made a stop in Hamtramck, Michigan, Sister Ricarda was able to be there in person and got close enough to kiss his ring. Not one to enjoy being noticed or celebrated for her accomplishments, she graciously attended her 75th Jubilee celebration but said, “Seventy-five is just a number, and I try not to think about it as anything special.” When the Sisters in her community, her family and friends celebrated her 100th birthday, she seemed to enjoy the celebration and may have wondered what was so special about turning 100. We trust that she now really knows what her life on this earth was all about. Rest in peace, dear Sister.
Sister Ricarda is survived by her Sisters in community, nieces and nephews. She will be dearly missed by her Sisters in community, her caregivers and her family and friends.
The Welcome Service for Sister Ricarda will be Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel in Sylvania. The Funeral Liturgy will take place on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 10:30 AM in the Chapel and can be watched via Livestream here: https://video.ibm.com/channel/RvdadQRjbGk.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis, Sylvania, Ohio. Arrangements by the Thomas I. Wisniewski Funeral Home. Toledo, Ohio.
