Would you please share a little about yourself?
I was born and raised in the French Quarter in New Orleans. I have been a Daughter of Charity for the past 78 years. I made my first vows in 1941. I attended a Daughters of Charity High School in New Orleans, which was where I realized that I wanted to become a Daughter. Two months after graduating, I joined the Daughters of Charity community.
Would you please tell us about your family?
I grew up in a loving family. My mother was wonderful and caring. She stayed at home and took care of me and my siblings. There were 5 boys and 4 girls in our family. My father was a musician and he graduated from Loyola University with a degree in Law. Three of the girls in our family became Daughters of Charity. One of my sisters, Sister Muriel, DC, lives at Seton Residence in Evansville with me today. All of the children in our family were musicians. I played the clarinet, piano and saxophone. We had a family band, but we never performed in public!
What has been your most memorable experience as a Daughter of Charity?
For 37 years, I taught in grade schools and high schools throughout the southern part of the United States. I’ve always been a southerner, so I’m not used to the snow! I worked in Donaldsonville, Louisiana; Long Beach, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; Natchez, Mississippi; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Los Angeles, California. As a high school teacher, I taught math and science. Then, I worked in Fundraising for 40 years at Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas. When I started at Seton, they had a fundraising employee, a public relations employee and me. When I left in May 2014, there were 60 individuals working in Fundraising for the Seton Healthcare Family, which includes 12 hospitals. I was involved in all aspects of Fundraising, including meeting with donors and inviting their support for our Mission. I have enjoyed all of my jobs and each one has helped prepare me for the next. Today, I continue to serve on the Seton Fund Board of Trustees.
Please describe your involvement with the St. Mary’s Health Foundation.
I began volunteering with the St. Mary’s Health Foundation on October 1, 2014. I visit patients in the hospital and call donors to thank them for their support. I enjoy doing whatever I can to help carry out the Mission of St. Mary’s Health. The work of the Foundation is very important to the success of St. Mary’s Health. I enjoy knowing that what I’m doing will help the poor and serve our Mission. It is exactly the reason I joined the Daughters of Charity.
What particular spiritual practice is most important to you and why?
The most important spiritual practice to me is attending daily mass. It is also important for me to live in community with the Daughters of Charity. The Daughters of Charity left Texas in 2014, which is when I came to Evansville.
What has been your most rewarding experience in life?
My whole life has been rewarding since it involves working with people. I have always been a people person! In all of my roles throughout life, I have been drawn to those that involve interacting with people.
What do you consider to be your greatest legacy?
My greatest legacy is my endowment to the poor in Austin, Texas. The endowment was created in 1999 and is called the Sister Gertrude Levy Endowment. It totals more than $2 million and exists to serve the poor in Austin, Texas, including patients at Seton’s three community health centers, Seton Kozmetsky in South Austin, Seton McCarthy in East Austin and Seton Topfer in North Austin.
When you see Sister Gertrude at St. Mary’s, be sure to say hello. She can often be found visiting with patients or in her office on the first floor of St. Mary’s Rehabilitation Institute making phone calls to thank donors for their generosity. You’ll also find her in the cafeteria eating lunch with family and friends of patients or Associates every Wednesday and Thursday after daily mass at 11:30 a.m.
