The daughter of Joseph and Catherine Elder Weise, Margaret Victoria [Vic] was born Oct. 8, 1891. She spent her childhood among her brothers and sisters in Balltown, a small village near McQuady, Ky. At the age of 11, she cast aside her dolls and playthings to begin piecing quilts, weaving, and sewing for the six other members of the family. Her school life was spent in the public school nearby. She was very apt in spelling bees and in music, playing both violin and guitar. Vic also loved parties and dances. She left this in her early 20s and entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph. Following an eight‑month postulancy, Vic received the Ursuline habit on May 5, 1914, and the name Sister Mary Frances.
Sister Mary Frances helped in the infirmary while in the novitiate. For a few weeks as a novice she suffered an acute attack of rheumatism that confined her to bed. Later she was assigned to help in the kitchen with preparation of the meals for the Sisters, the workmen, and the boarders in Mount Saint Joseph Academy. Sister Mary Frances was especially kind to orphaned or neglected girls. This compassion endeared her to all with whom she lived and served.
In late fall of 1919, Sister Mary Frances again suffered from acute rheumatism. On the Saturday before Advent, she went to bed saying, “I’m so tired. I feel like I will never be rested.” Pleurisy developed, followed by double pneumonia. By early January it was evident that she could not recover. She died very quickly on January 29, 1920.
Funeral services were conducted from the convent chapel on January 31. Father J. S. Henry, Father James Whelan, Mount Saint Joseph chaplain, and Father John Higgins, who preached the sermon, concelebrated the funeral Mass. Sister Mary Frances’ remains are buried in the convent cemetery. Her Ursuline sister, Sister Fidelis, was among the survivors.