Dorothy Marie Higdon was born on June 11, 1929, in Owensboro, Ky., to Bernard Joseph Higdon and Mary Philomena Strehl Higdon. She was number 10 of 11 children. There were eight boys and three girls in her family. They were Raymond, Gerald, James, John, Thomas, Marvin, Hugh, Anthony, Mary Louise, Catherine and Dorothy Marie.
Dorothy was baptized at St. Stephen Cathedral on June 30, 1929. She began school at St. Joseph School in Owensboro and attended school there during all her early years. She was confirmed on April 4, 1936, at St. Joseph Church by Bishop John A. Floersh. She attended St. Joseph High School and graduated in June 1947.
She began her formation as an Ursuline Sister in September 1947. She said, “Sister Angelica taught me in first grade and when I entered the postulancy on September 7, 1947, she was the Postulant Mistress. That was a real surprise.”
Dorothy received the habit on August 14, 1948, taking the name Sister Mary Sheila. She submitted three names, Sister Mary Sheila being the last one. She found out later that “Sheila” is Irish for Cecilia which was her confirmation name.
She continued her education at Mount Saint Joseph Junior College as soon as she took the habit. Two years later she began her teaching ministry at St. Charles School in Bardwell, Ky. From there she served at St. Bartholomew School in Buechel, Ky. There were 77 little ones in her classroom. There were no teacher’s aides in those days.
She made her perpetual vows on August 15, 1953. Afterwards, she spent 11years at Seven Holy Founders School in Affton, Mo. Having received a certificate as a reading specialist, she was asked to go to the St. Angela Education Center in Louisville, Ky., for two years. Afterward, a principal was needed at St. John’s School in Plattsmouth, Neb., in 1972, so she travelled to Nebraska to minister there.
While ministering in Nebraska, she attended courses at Creighton University to get a certificate in Pastoral Ministry. She used that religious education training as Director of Religious
Education in the Kentucky parishes of Holy Name in Henderson, St. Joseph and Holy Spirit in Bowling Green, St. Mary of the Woods in Whitesville, and St. Francis Borgia Parish in Sturgis. She was served in the same role in the Missouri parishes of Sacred Heart in Dextor, St. George in Van Buren, St. Catherine Siena in Piedmont, and Our Lady of Sorrows in Williamsville.
She came to the Motherhouse in 2011 where she served in several different ministries. She worked with Associates in the Mission Advancement office, answered the phone at the switchboard, greeted people as they came to pray with the sisters, drove sisters to the doctor or to visits with their family members, helped decorate areas around the Motherhouse, helped with the chapel and led community prayers.
Sister Mary Sheila Higdon, 88, died Saturday, February 17, 2018, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital in her 70th year of religious life. The funeral Mass was at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 20, 2018, in the Motherhouse Chapel. Burial was in the convent cemetery.