Elizabeth Oliver was born on November 5, 1913 in Superior, Wisconsin, in the Superior Diocese. She was the daughter of Thomas & Josephine (Seidel) Oliver. On July 11, 1927, at the age of 13 she entered our Congregation in Milwaukee. She said she was drawn to the Sisters of the Divine Savior because her mother had 4 cousins in the congregation, the Braml sisters: Sisters Emerentiana, Henrica, Dyonesia and Beatrix. On August 12, 1929 she entered the novitiate and received the religious name Ceciliana. She pronounced her first vows on August 13, 1930 and her Perpetual Vows on August 13, 1936 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Sister Elizabeth earned her degree from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. She began her teaching career in Kampsville, Illinois in 1932. She continued her ministry as a teacher from 1932 – 1977.  She taught in small rural area Catholic schools in Illinois and Wisconsin, as well as larger schools in various cities in Wisconsin and Maryland. She taught children in the primary grades and junior high. At one point in her teaching career Sister Elizabeth was the principal, taught 3 grades (6th, 7th & 8th) in one classroom, gave piano lessons and was parish organist. Amazing!

In 1977, she received permission to care for her elderly mother until her death in 1978. Sister Elizabeth then joined the retirement community at Our Lady of Good Hope Convent, but not for long. Those who knew her well knew she loved to be helpful and share her gifts. So in 1979, she gratefully responded to an invitation from Sister Carol Jean Zais to come to St. Mark’s School in Rothschild, WI to help in the school. For nineteen years she helped in many different capacities in the school and parish. Some of her duties included that of librarian, teacher of religious education, substitute teacher, and coordinator of the annual Book Fair. Some of her other activities included decorating bulletin boards, helping with parish mailings, visiting the sick and homebound and Communion visits to the sick and homebound. Sister Elizabeth believed that “Being kind to people is more important than doing great things…”

In an article in the Salvatorian News entitled, “Her Heart Just Keeps on Giving” the writer captures well who Sister Elizabeth was: “She has committed countless, random acts of kindness. She has been principal, teacher, volunteer, friend. She has guided the unsteady hand of a small kindergartner and held the hand of the lonely, the homebound and the suffering. She has walked with us as a gentle presence in our community and parish”. The principal of the school stated, “Sister reminds me of the EverReady battery that keeps going and going and going. She keeps giving and giving and giving. She is a true example of giving service.” On the occasion of her 60th Jubilee, Sister Elizabeth stated that the faculty and staff at St. Mark’s School have had a profound influence in her life. “These friends helped me greatly, and assured me of the great resources I had hidden away. Let them shine! So I did, and I have learned, and am a different person today”.

In 1997, she left St. Mark’s School and returned to Milwaukee. While residing in the Bethany Community, she still had energy for giving and so volunteered at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School in the library and in the Development Office of the Province Headquarters until she joined the retirement community at the Salvatorian Sisters Residence in May 2001. Surely she lived the mission of the Sisters of the Divine Savior making known the goodness and kindness of Jesus as long as she possibly could.

Sister Elizabeth was 93 years old and professed for 77 years.

She is survived by her Salvatorian Sisters, a sister, Mary Hunter, a sister-in-law, Betty Oliver and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Thomas & Josephine (Seidel) Oliver, her brothers and sisters-in-law, Tom (Eleanor), Joe (Ella) Oliver, James Oliver and a sister, Margie Oliver.

The Mass of Christian Burial was held on October 15, 2007 at St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.