Sister Beatrice Koerper, 77, of the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, died at 10:35 p.m. Christmas night, Dec. 25, 2011, at St. Francis Home.

She was born Oct. 7, 1934, in Tiffin, to Lloyd and Leona (Christophory) Koerper.

Surviving are two sisters, Ruth Wank of Tiffin and Marjorie Wasserman of Fremont.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Rose Collier; and two brothers, Bernard and Eugene Koerper.

Sister Beatrice earned an M.A. in religious education from Fordham University. She was an elementary school teacher at Carey, Edgerton, Fort Jennings, Bucyrus, Millersville, Payne and Peru. She was director of religious education at Ottawa and Lima, and she was the directress of novices and postulants, and community councilor for the congregation. She also served as a pastoral associate at Morganfield, Ky. She lived as a contemplative and spiritual guide at St. Mary of the Angels hermitage in Morganfield before returning to the motherhouse in 2003. Sister Beatrice continued serving others as a contemplative/spiritual guide until the time of her most recent illness and death.

Sister Beatrice spent much time reading, studying the mystical classics, praying, and providing spiritual direction for many people. When she left western Kentucky the people said "the greatest lesson Sr. Bea left us is that the seed of prayer and living in God's presence grows not only in the hills of Assisi and the knobs of Nelson County, it grows also in the hills of Union County, Ky. The seed of prayer and silence, if it is tended and watered, can grow anywhere."

Sister Beatrice completed the plans for her wake and funeral Oct. 23, 2005. At that time she wrote "Finally, I have this completed. I hope God doesn't make me wait forever." God didn't; she was taken home about six years later. Sister Beatrice will be missed by her sisters in community, her family and her many friends.