116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Sister Theresa Spitz
SISTER THERESA ANN SPITZ, RSM
Cedar Rapids
Sister Theresa Ann Spitz, RSM, 89, died May 16, 2020, at Mercy Hallmar in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after a brief illness. A private service will be held May 21 with burial following at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cedar Rapids by the Rev. Anthony Adawu. Memorial services for family, friends and the extended community will be celebrated at a later date. Arrangements are with Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids.
Theresa Ann was born June 15, 1930, in Orchard, Iowa, the daughter of Frank and Bertha (Roth) Spitz. She attended public elementary school in Orchard and graduated from Osage Public High School in Osage, Iowa, after which she entered the Cedar Rapids Mercy Community in 1948 and completed her formal education with a B.A. degree in English and a minor in education from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids.
For 44 years, from 1951 to 1995, sister's ministry was teaching in the following schools: St. Wenceslaus, Cedar Rapids; St. Matthew, Kalispell, Mont.; Sacred Heart, Waterloo, Iowa; Sacred Heart, Oelwein, Iowa; St. Patrick, Fairfax, Iowa; St. Joseph, Marion, Iowa; St. Patrick, Garryowen, Iowa; and St. Joseph, DeWitt, Iowa. In 1995, in De Witt, Iowa, sister started transitioning into pastoral ministry on a part-time basis until it became her full-time ministry. Sister Theresa Ann supported generations of families until her retirement in 2012. Upon moving back to Cedar Rapids, she was a faithful volunteer at Sacred Heart Convent.
Visiting the homebound and residents at care centers along with her love for gardening, especially plants to beautify the Sacred Heart campus, were her special interests in her retirement years. Sister enjoyed playing cards and was known for her expertise when playing trivia games.
Sister Theresa Ann was a vowed member of the Mercy Community for 71 years. In addition to the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Theresa Ann is survived by her sister, Geraldine Juenger, and numerous nieces, nephews and their extended families.
Her parents, Frank and Bertha; and siblings, Donald, Clarence and Bernard, preceded Sister in death.
Memorials may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy, 1125 Prairie Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402.
Daily Newsletters