Patricia L. Forret, RSM

Sister Patricia (Pat/Patti) Forret was born March 23, 1938 in Waukee, Iowa to Louis and Sara E. (Dillon) Forret. The youngest of nine children, when asked, she would gladly name each of her siblings in their exact birth order. As the “baby,’ she proudly spoke of being ‘very spoiled.’

 Sister Pat entered the Sisters of Mercy in Omaha, NE on February 2, 1958 and was given the religious name of Sister Mary Kurt. Prior to professing perpetual vows in 1965, she completed her BSN degree and began a lifelong commitment to her ministry in healthcare. She received a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Notre Dame University in 1980 and completed a Fellowship in Healthcare Ethics at Yale University in 1986. 

 Early on she was recognized as an excellent nurse and administrator. She held positions as Nursing Supervisor, Director of Nursing Service, Director of Nursing Specialties, Vice-President of Primary Care in Mercy hospitals in Council Bluffs, IA, Omaha, NE, Des Moines, IA, North Bend, OR, Pocatello, ID, and Denver, CO. While ministering within the Eastern Mercy Health System, she served as Vice-President and Senior Vice-President for Sponsorship

 In 1998, Sister Patricia was called back to Omaha to serve as President of the Omaha Community of the Sisters of Mercy. She served 10 years in this position and was instrumental in forming the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community which brought together six former regions of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. 

 Following her time in community leadership, Sister Pat began volunteering at Bethlehem House in Omaha, a program for pregnant and parenting women in crisis. She served as secretary of the board of directors and is credited with creating the cuddling program that pairs volunteers with infants in offering support and respite for new moms. She was presented with The Bethlehem House 2019 Service Award. To this day she has maintained a very strong relationship with one of the first babies she had the privilege of ‘rocking!’

 Sister Pat’s ring motto is LOVE, a quality she lived throughout her life, with her family, with her community, with her colleagues, and all those she served.

 As her niece, Karyl Reynolds shared, “Aunt Patti was always available to any of her nieces and nephews who needed her. She was a good listener and never judgmental. She always offered her prayers and we all knew she was on our side! She loved her brothers and sisters and especially loved their various children. She was my spiritual guide in many ways and I loved her very much!” 

 Sister Pat was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Sara Elizabeth, her siblings Harold (Lorraine), Madeline (Jim), Eugene (Helen), Geraldine (Ralph), Chuck (Ann), Mary Evelyn (Ralph), Joe (Darlene), and Joanne (Ferdinand). She is survived by over seventy nieces, nephews, their families and her Sisters of Mercy.

 She has left us a legacy of LOVE!

Memorials may be made to Sisters of Mercy or Bethlehem House in Omaha.

Livestream website for Vigil

https://heartstreaming.link/sr-pat-forret-vigil

Livestream website for Mass

https://heartstreaming.link/sr-pat-forret-mass