Compiled by
Angela Arrington
Sister Mary Joannes Toner, I.H.M.
Sister Mary Joannes Toner, I.H.M., formerly Mary C. Toner, died June 1, 2008 at Camilla Hall, Immaculata. She was 85. She entered the congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942 and professed first vows in 1945. In her early years as a sister, she taught in the elementary grades. For most of her religious life, she was primarily a teacher or administrator in Catholic high schools. In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, they included Bishop Shanahan High School, Bishop Kenrick High School, St. Maria Goretti High School, and Archbishop Wood High School. She also taught for six years in the congregation’s San Antonio School for business in Callao, Peru. From 1981 to 1994, she was the I.H.M. congregational secretary. From 2001 until her death, she was part of the business staff at the Villa Maria House of Studies, Immaculata. She was predeceased by her parents, John and Catherine Toner; her brothers, Patrick J., John and William, and her sister, Sister Marie St. Catherine, I.H.M. A funeral Mass was celebrated on Wednesday, June 4 at Camilla Hall. Interment was in Immaculata Cemetery. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Dorothy Toner; nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, and members of her religious community.
Sister Mary Paul Steiner, R.S.M.
Sister Mary Paul Steiner, R.S.M., died June 11 at McAuley Convent. She was 101 and had professed her final vows as a Sister of Mercy in 1930. She earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology from the Philadelphia School of Pharmacy in 1936, and a master’s degree. in chemistry from Villanova University. She taught elementary school at St. Denis School, Havertown, in 1928-1929; St. Malachy School in 1929-1931, and Annunciation B.V.M School, also in Havertown, in 1931-1932. After becoming a pharmacist, she taught nurses at Misericordia Hospital from 1936 to 1943 and later taught at Little Flower High School. She was then assigned to Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital as a nursing instructor and assistant pharmacist for five years. In 1950-1951, she was a science instructor at Gwynedd-Mercy College in Gwynedd Valley. She then returned to Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital, where she taught and worked as a pharmacist until 1958. She taught science at Gwynedd-Mercy College until 1987 and then became the assistant archivist for the college. She served as archivist at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital from 1991 to 2006, when she moved into prayer ministry in McAuley Convent. A funeral Mass was celebrated on Saturday, June 14 at the Convent of Mercy Chapel, Merion Station. Burial followed in the Community Cemetery. She is survived by many nieces and nephews.
James Patrick Noone
James Patrick Noone died June 5, 2008 at Holy Redeemer Hospital. He was 66. Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the Late Dominic Noone and Maryann (Swift) Noone. He was employed as a sales manager for Boscov’s Department Store for 25 years, retiring in April 2007. A funeral Mass was celebrated Wednesday, June 11 at St. Bernadette Church in Drexel Hill. Interment was in SS. Peter &Paul Cemetery, Springfield.
James Francis Parker
James Francis Parker died May 31, 2008 from injuries suffered in a water scooter accident. He was 14. Although he was a Florida resident, he had been baptized in St. Christopher Parish, Philadelphia, and his mother, Ann Parker, grew up in the parish. Known for his sweet and loving demeanor, his talent for swimming, and his intelligence, he was valedictorian of his eighth-grade class at Incarnation Parish School in Tampa, Fla., in 2007. He had just completed freshman year at a Jesuit high school in Florida, where he lettered in swimming, was an honor student and a member of the key club. He swam for the Berkley Barracudas. He was a frequent altar server at 7:30 a.m. Mass at Incarnation, and a charitable young man who planned to be a physician. He frequently did volunteer work with disabled and underprivileged children for the Westchase, Egypt Lake elementary schools, Special Olympics and other charitable events. A funeral Mass was celebrated Wednesday, June 4 at Incarnation Church, Tampa. Burial was at Trinity Memorial Gardens. He is survived by his parents, Ann and Jonathon Parker; siblings, Benjamin, Margaret and Samuel; grandparents, Carol and Glyn Parker, and Mary Ann and Mike Whalen, also of St. Christopher Parish; uncles, Patrick, Michael and Frank Whalen, and numerous cousins and extended family members.
Rev. Dr. John H.P. Reumann
Rev. Dr. John H.P. Reumann died of cancer at his Lafayette Hill residence June 6, 2008. He was 81. Born April 21, 1927 in Easton, he grew up in Lansdale. As a student at Lutheran Theological Seminary he was so well regarded by the faculty that he was made an instructor there immediately after graduating from the seminary. During his early years as an instructor he also served as a mission pastor in the Villas, N.J, and in Feasterville. He was ordained a minister in 1950, and earned his master’s degree in sacred theology from the seminary in 1951. He also earned a master’s degree in classical studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in classics and Semitic studies in 1957. He was a New Testament professor with an encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible, and his influence ranged from the classroom to national and international ecumenical and interfaith circles. He taught for 45 years before retiring in 1996. Special areas of interest for him included research in the life of Jesus and Christian origins, especially the Apostle Paul; ecumenism, and Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue. A funeral service was held on June 12 at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1000 West Main St., Lansdale. In addition to his wife, he is survived by their adult daughters, Rebecca Jane Reumann-Moore, Amy Elizabeth and Miriam Reumann Sadler, and three grandchildren.