The daughter of John and Florence Schaefer Greenwell, Mary Agnes was born in Uniontown, Kentucky on March 10, 1958. The Greenwell families were descendents of the pioneer Catholic families from Maryland who settled in Nelson County and migrated to Union County. The true Catholic spirit had been handed down through the religious teaching and example of their parents, grandparents and pastors. Mary Agnes attended St. Agnes Elementary School in Uniontown. She enrolled at Mount Saint Joseph Academy for high school. She entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph in January 1927, and received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Agnes Jean on August 15.
Sister Agnes Jean began her teaching career in 1928 by finishing the year for a sick sister at St. Rose School in Cloverport. The following September she began teaching in other schools of Kentucky. She was missioned to Fairfield, Jeffersontown, St. Lawrence, Fancy Farm, Sorgho, and St. Alphonsus. In 1940, Sister Agnes Jean opened St. Paul School in Clarkson. She served as principal and teacher of grades seven and eight. Each year she added another year of high school classes until St. Paul could have full-time high school teachers. For a few weeks in 1950-51, she substituted in Nebraska City, Nebraska.
Sister Agnes Jean remained in the mission field until March of 1957. She had serious surgery at that time and came to the Motherhouse to recuperate. She never regained strength and remained in the infirmary until her death, February 15, 1958. She suffered intensely, was always prayerful, patient and so grateful for any act of kindness shown her.
Msgr. Gilbert Henninger, chaplain, celebrated the funeral Mass. Despite the extremely cold, sub‑zero temperature, Sister’s family, other relatives and friends attended the funeral service and followed in the procession to the convent cemetery for the burial of her remains.