†Sister Geneva Marie Schaub, OP

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all else will be given unto you.” ~ Matthew 6:33

Leo and Genevieve (Denoyer) Schaub welcomed their daughter into the world on August 4, 1932, in Lake Leelanau, Michigan. She was the first surviving child and oldest of ten children born into a family of deep and abiding faith. The baby was named Irma Lucille after her aunt and in honor of Sister Irma Gamache, whom her mother greatly admired.

Faith shaped the rhythm of family life in the Schaub household. Leo and Genevieve were devoted to Catholic education, prayed the rosary together each evening, and personally helped their children learn their catechism lessons. Their example of steady prayer and love for the Church left a lasting impression on young Irma.

At the age of five, after meeting Dominican Sisters during a visit to a Catholic school, Irma felt a stirring in her heart and expressed a desire to become a Sister. That early longing never faded. She attended both public and Catholic schools near her home through the tenth grade, then transferred to Marywood Academy to complete her high school education. There she continued to nurture her sense of vocation. On September 8, 1950, she entered the Dominican community, fulfilling the dream she had carried since childhood. At her reception into the novitiate, she received the name Sister Geneva Marie.

Sister Geneva Marie soon began her ministry in food service where she served for twenty-five years at St. Joseph’s, West Branch; St. Joseph, East Tawas; Catholic Central, Grand Rapids; Sacred Heart, Saginaw; St. Mary Magdalen, Melvindale; Marywood; St. Joseph Seminary; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Chesaning; House of Studies; Aquinata Hall; Emmaus Center and St. Alfred, Taylor.

Always eager to learn and grow, she took classes and attended workshops, eventually earning a Certificate in Pastoral Ministry through the Archdiocese of Detroit while stationed at St. Alfred’s in Taylor. During her time there, she began to sense a call to broaden her ministry beyond food service. She initiated a hospital ministry and became involved in part-time pastoral service. When the congregation opened a House of Prayer on Lakeside Drive, Sister Geneva Marie served there in food service while also availing herself of opportunities for further education.

In time, Sister Geneva Marie moved into full-time pastoral ministry. She served as chaplain at Heritage Hospital, where she established a Grief Support group and introduced Rainbows for All God’s Children, offering compassionate care to those grieving losses. She also assisted with the RCIA program, accompanying adults as they entered more deeply into the life of the Church.

For seventeen years, Sister Geneva Marie served at St. Mary’s in Hannah as Director of Religious Education and Pastoral Associate. Her ministry there was rich and varied: visiting the homebound, guiding candidates through RCIA, supporting youth ministry, and preparing children for their First Eucharist — a moment that always brought her joy. She also initiated a small shop where visitors could purchase devotional items, and during these years she developed both a deep admiration for and growing skill in the sacred art of “writing” icons.

A long list of workshops and classes bears witness to Sister Geneva Marie’s lifelong commitment to study, especially in the areas of religious formation and spirituality. She once reflected that her greatest joy was seeing people grow more deeply in their faith and helping children prepare to receive the Eucharist for the first time.

Even in later years, her curiosity and openness to new things remained strong. Though initially skeptical about using a computer, she soon discovered its value. It became a tool for studying iconography and a bridge connecting her with family and friends. She fondly recalled a New Year’s Eve when she and her family, separated by many miles, chatted online until midnight and then raised glasses beside their computers to toast one another. “We had more fun over that,” she remembered with a twinkle in her eye.

Sister Geneva Marie enjoyed traveling and made pilgrimages to various shrines in Alabama, Arizona, Texas, and Canada. Among her most treasured experiences were visits to holy places in Rome, the Holy Land, Poland, and Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

While she enjoyed making rosaries, crocheting, reading, and playing card games, her deepest enthusiasm in her later years was the sacred art of icon writing. Through this prayerful practice, she found profound joy and a deepening of her faith. True to her favorite Scripture passage, Sister Geneva Marie sought first the Kingdom of God throughout her life, trusting that all else would be given in due measure.

Sr. Geneva Marie is survived by brothers; Lonnie Schaub & Michael (Dorothy) Schaub, sisters; Geneva (Gerald) Lamie & Doreen (Bob) Stone, nieces, nephews, grandnieces & grandnephews, friends, and members of her Dominican Community.