Sr. Leonore Mary
Please join us for the following Liturgical Services for Sr. Mary Kaye Nealen:
Vigil Service
- Thursday, September 24th at 3:30 PM
- Chapel at St. Joseph Residence, 4800 37th Ave SW, Seattle, WA
- Zoom link: https://psjhealth.zoom.us/j/4700453324?omn=99171673720
Funeral Mass
- Friday, September 25th at 11:00 AM
- Chapel at St. Joseph Residence, 4800 37th Ave SW, Seattle, WA
- Livestream Link: https://psjhealth.zoom.us/j/4700453324?omn=97635540812
Sister Mary Kaye Nealen, a Sister of Providence for 65 years, died on August 10, 2026, at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle.
Before becoming a religious Sister, Sr. Mary Kaye was the “big sister” to two brothers, as the first child to Leo Henry and Bernardine Frances (Crowley) Nealen, of Spokane. Born on March 26, 1942, Sr. Mary Kaye enjoyed her childhood — especially a close relationship with her mother. While attending Holy Names Academy as a teen, she shared with her parents that she felt called to religious life.
“They encouraged me gently, wishing me at the same time to continue a normal social life in order better to understand and help young people later on,” said Sr. Mary Kaye.
After graduating in 1960, Sr. Mary Kaye decided the time was right to pursue her calling, and found a fitting home community in the Sisters of Providence. She was attracted to the Sisters’ fundamental values of humility, simplicity, and charity.
“These values summed up my desires for a life of Christ-like service,” said Sr. Mary Kaye.
She was received as a novice in 1961 (the first to be celebrated at the new Providence Heights College in Issaquah, Washington) and ultimately made her Final Vows in 1968 — taking the religious name Sr. Leonore Mary. During this time of discernment, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science and Education from Seattle University, in 1965.
Sr. Mary Kaye’s stretch of more than 50 years of influential ministries, spanning the world, began in 1965, when she took her first airplane trip to mission as a seventh-grade teacher at St. Raphael School in Glasgow, Montana. Ensuing teaching assignments included St. Rita School in Kellogg, Idaho (1966-68), DeSales High School in Walla Walla, Washington (1986-71); and Sacred Heart Academy in Missoula, Montana (1971-74).
Then, Sr. Mary Kaye returned to the classroom as a student herself, and earned a Master of Art in Theology from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in 1976. She then returned to Montana, and taught in the new permanent deacon program in the Diocese of Great Falls, while also performing parish work in rural parishes near Great Falls.
Beginning in 1978, Sr. Mary Kaye began a storied tenure at the University of Great Falls (now University of Providence), which spanned more than three decades. She ministered at first as a lecturer (1978-82), then an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies (1988-92, 1997-05, 2006-12), and was also Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (2002-05). She also served as the university’s Director of Mission Integration from 2008-2012.
While working toward earning her Doctorate in Systematic Theology from the Catholic University of America (in 1989), Sr. Mary Kaye researched author Juan Luis Segundo in Uruguay, and also spent several months in the Sisters’ Bernarda Morin zone, in Chile. She ministered to poor families in Chile, the Philippines, and Egypt; and worked with prisoners to improve their education.
Sr. Mary Kaye was also elected to leadership for her community, and served two terms as a General Councilor for the entire Sisters of Providence congregation in Montreal (1992-97, 2012-18). She spent an additional eight months in Montreal after her second term to help bring the community’s revised Constitutions and Rules to completion, and to Vatican approval, in 2018.
That year, she returned to Washington to live alongside her Sisters at St. Joseph Residence, where she was beloved for her welcoming aura, can-do attitude, and her quiet sense of humor. She enjoyed hikes in her native Pacific Northwest, swimming, reading historical novels, and particularly learning the philosophy of St. Vincent de Paul.
Sr. Mary Kaye believed deeply in the mission of the Sisters of Providence and will be remembered for her wisdom, patience, love of life, and her presence. She will be deeply missed.
Sr. Mary Kaye’s parents and her brother, Michael Nealen, preceded her in death. She is survived by her brother, Curtis (Ann MacAdam) Nealen, her extended family, and the Sisters in her community.
Memorial contributions may be made in Sr. Mary Kaye’s honor to the Sisters of Providence Retirement Fund, 1801 Lind Avenue SW, M1-C, Renton, WA 98057-9016.