Sister Mary Concetta Cardinale, RSM, 98, formerly of Fort Scott, passed away Friday, January 14, 2022, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born February 22, 1923, in Chanute, Kansas, the daughter of Angelo and Helen Louise (Blome) Cardinale.
A faithful Sister of Mercy for 77 years and nursing pioneer, Sister Concetta entered the Sisters of Mercy on April 9, 1945, and professed final vows on August 16, 1951. She received her Nursing Diploma from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Fort Scott, Kansas, a bachelor’s Nursing Degree from St. Mary’s College in Xavier, Kansas, and was certified by the American Nurses Association for Excellence in Community Nursing in 1979. She received her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Maryland.
Sister Concetta served as Nursing Supervisor at Mercy Hospital, Fort Scott, Kansas and Nursing Director of Home Health Agency at St. Elizabeth’s Mercy Hospital in Hutchinson, Kansas, Administrator, and Director for Reno County, Community Health Instructor at Wichita State University, and Director of Senior Programs and Mercy Compassionate Care at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, Kansas.
Sister Concetta organized the Mercy Associate Program in Fort Scott, Kansas, and was very involved in civic activities. She was a woman dedicated to helping the disadvantaged and poor. When she retired in 2010, she demonstrated to all how to grow old gracefully by maintaining her pleasant personality and quick wit.
Sister Mary Concetta is survived by one sister, Diane Cardinale Healy, four nieces, nine nephews, and numerous great-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and five siblings.
Father Yancey Burgess and Father Ned Blick will celebrate the Funeral Mass at 11:00 am, Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at Mary Queen Angels Catholic Church, Fort Scott, Kansas, under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home. Burial will follow at the St. Mary’s Cemetery, Fort Scott, Kansas. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
