Born Dec. 29, 1902, at West Louisville, Ky., Ellen was the daughter of Charles and Genevieve Fogle Clayton. She entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph when she was 17 years old. On March 19, 1921, following a six-month postulancy, Ellen received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Geneva.
Sister Geneva’s first assignment was to St. Charles School, St. Mary, Ky. Other assignments were to Calvary, Holy Cross, and Fredericktown, Ky., Nebraska City, Neb., Raywick, Ky., (St. Francis), and a return, in succession, to Fredericktown, St. Charles, Raywick, Fredericktown and St. Charles. In 1955, she assisted in the library at Brescia College.
On October 11, 1956, Sister Geneva suffered a brain hemorrhage and never regained consciousness. She died on October 17 at Mercy Hospital in Owensboro. Father Gilbert Henninger, chaplain, celebrated the funeral Mass on October 19, 1956. Sister Geneva’s remains are buried in the convent cemetery. Among her survivors was her Ursuline sister, Sister Charlesetta.