Born On July 24, 1896, in St. John, Ky., Mary Esther was the daughter of John and Josephine Englert Younker, one of nine children. She entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph when she was 28 years old. On August 15, 1925, following a nine-month postulancy, Mary Esther received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Mary Charlotte.
Sister Mary Charlotte was assigned to St. Francis of Assisi School in Chicago, Ky., in 1926 teaching first and second grade for two years. Following that assignment, she taught grades seventh and eighth grade at Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Cloverport, and Stanley, Ky. In 1936, she began teaching high school in Owensboro (St. Joseph), Flaherty, Ky., (for a total of 11 years), St. Charles, Nebraska (St Bernard Academy, Nebraska City), New Haven, and Hardinsburg, Ky. She taught in the commercial department of Brescia College from 1958 through 1965, and at Mount Saint Joseph Academy from 1965 through 1973. She retired from classroom teaching and spent the first three months of the 1973-1974 school year as librarian at St. Denis School in Shively, Ky.
Because of severe loss of hearing and other health complications, Sister Mary Charlotte came to live at the Motherhouse in early December of 1973. She retained her spirit of joyful living, enjoying the beauties of friendship, nature, literature and language. Her best-kept secret: a volume of original poetry! She lived the last seven years of her life in the infirmary. Death came to her on September 29, 1987. Her funeral Mass was celebrated the first of October. Sister’s remains rest in the convent cemetery.