“How good is the good God.”
-St. Julie Billiart
Sister Julie Edwina Tucker was born Patricia Tucker in Springfield, Massachusetts, the daughter of Albert and Julia (Sullivan) Tucker. Her mother encouraged her to attend Sacred Heart High School, which was an easy choice for Julie because many of her grammar school classmates from Our Lady of Hope also went there. At Sacred Heart High School she met the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and entered the congregation after graduation.
As a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, Sister Edwina enjoyed all her ministries, whether teaching in the classroom or serving in administration. She served at several schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut, including as principal of her alma mater, Notre Dame High School, formerly known as Sacred Heart High School. A great deal of her career was spent at Cathedral High School in Springfield where she was assistant principal. She found that each school and situation provided experiences for growth and new opportunities for building beautiful relationships. She maintained lifelong connections with some of her students, keeping in touch and making yearly visits!
Sister Edwina laughed when she recalled her early years as a teacher. During her first year of teaching, the students had to submit penmanship samples for review. She asked the students to write, “This is the best specimen of my penmanship.” She realized she had misspelled the word specimen only after all 67 boys had completed the task. Another time, she went to confiscate something from a student, and it turned out to be a live snake, “But I just took it and held it,” she said!
Sister Edwina went home to her good God on July 9, 2024, at 96 and after 78 years as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur.