Obituary for Sister Rita Brocke, RSM
Sr. Rita (Sr. Immaculate) Brocke, RSM, died on Thursday, February 3, 2022 at the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse.
Born on December 14, 1926, in Pittsburgh, PA, she was the daughter of the late Gerhard Joseph and Mary Helena (Jennings) Brocke.
From Assumption Parish in Pittsburgh she entered the Sisters of Mercy in Titusville, PA, on September 8, 1946, professing final vows in 1952.
She received her bachelor’s degree in home economics from Mercyhurst College (Univ.; her bachelor’s in nursing education from Carlow College (Univ.), Pittsburgh; her master’s in public health and nursing administration from the Univ. of Pittsburgh, and her American Nurse Association certification as primary care nurse practitioner from SUNY-Buffalo.
She ministered in a variety of nursing capacities for nearly 50years and maintained an abiding option for the poor throughout her life. She served two periods as a nursing supervisor at the DuBois Hospital and as a college health nurse at MercyhurstCollege. Then, she taught Community Health Nursing at Edinboro Univ. and served as the leader of the Sisters of Mercy of Erie.
For 25 years Sr. Rita ministered as a nurse practitioner at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Erie; Mercy Family Care, Detroit, MI; and the Thea Bowman Nursed Managed Center, Detroit, a center that provided health care for the uninsured. In her retirement for 10 years, she lived as an active presence at the House of Mercy in Erie, advocating for neighborhood improvement projects.
Among recognitions were: Outstanding Alumnae Award from Carlow College (Univ.) in Pittsburgh; Spirit of Detroit and MLK Keep the Dream Alive Awards, given in Detroit; and Women Making History from Mercy Center for Women, and Woman of Justice for National Catholic Sisters’ Week both given in Erie.
Her religious community and several nieces and nephews survive her. In addition to her parents, her brother, John V. Brocke, and two sisters, Gay Ann Brocke and Marie Beggs,preceded her in death.
Visitation will be held on Monday, February 7, 2022 at St. Luke Church 421 E. 38th Street, Erie PA 16504, from 9:30 a.m.-11:00a.m. Liturgy will follow at 11:00 with Msgr. David Rubino presiding. Burial will follow immediately at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. We ask that those in attendance please wear a mask and observe all social distancing protocols.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 444 East Grandview Blvd, Erie, PA, 16504.
Kloecker Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 2502 Sassafras St, Erie, PA 16502, is handling the arrangements.
Born on December 14, 1926, in Pittsburgh, PA, she was the daughter of the late Gerhard Joseph and Mary Helena (Jennings) Brocke.
From Assumption Parish in Pittsburgh she entered the Sisters of Mercy in Titusville, PA, on September 8, 1946, professing final vows in 1952.
She received her bachelor’s degree in home economics from Mercyhurst College (Univ.; her bachelor’s in nursing education from Carlow College (Univ.), Pittsburgh; her master’s in public health and nursing administration from the Univ. of Pittsburgh, and her American Nurse Association certification as primary care nurse practitioner from SUNY-Buffalo.
She ministered in a variety of nursing capacities for nearly 50years and maintained an abiding option for the poor throughout her life. She served two periods as a nursing supervisor at the DuBois Hospital and as a college health nurse at MercyhurstCollege. Then, she taught Community Health Nursing at Edinboro Univ. and served as the leader of the Sisters of Mercy of Erie.
For 25 years Sr. Rita ministered as a nurse practitioner at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Erie; Mercy Family Care, Detroit, MI; and the Thea Bowman Nursed Managed Center, Detroit, a center that provided health care for the uninsured. In her retirement for 10 years, she lived as an active presence at the House of Mercy in Erie, advocating for neighborhood improvement projects.
Among recognitions were: Outstanding Alumnae Award from Carlow College (Univ.) in Pittsburgh; Spirit of Detroit and MLK Keep the Dream Alive Awards, given in Detroit; and Women Making History from Mercy Center for Women, and Woman of Justice for National Catholic Sisters’ Week both given in Erie.
Her religious community and several nieces and nephews survive her. In addition to her parents, her brother, John V. Brocke, and two sisters, Gay Ann Brocke and Marie Beggs,preceded her in death.
Visitation will be held on Monday, February 7, 2022 at St. Luke Church 421 E. 38th Street, Erie PA 16504, from 9:30 a.m.-11:00a.m. Liturgy will follow at 11:00 with Msgr. David Rubino presiding. Burial will follow immediately at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. We ask that those in attendance please wear a mask and observe all social distancing protocols.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 444 East Grandview Blvd, Erie, PA, 16504.
Kloecker Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 2502 Sassafras St, Erie, PA 16502, is handling the arrangements.