Rose Marie O’Bryan was born on October 28, 1941, to Marion Albin O’Bryan Sr. and Elizabeth Theresa Oberst O’Bryan. She was the oldest of the four children. She had three brothers: Marion O’Bryan Jr., Herman Joseph O’Bryan and David Eugene O’Bryan.
Rose Marie was baptized on November 9, 1941, at St. Stephen Cathedral by Reverend
Bonaventure Oberst, C.P. On November 29, 1950, she was confirmed at Blessed Mother Church in Owensboro by Bishop Francis R. Cotton. She began her elementary education at Blessed Mother School in 1948. The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph taught there for many years.
Later, from 1956 to 1960, she attended Mount Saint Joseph Academy. During her years at the Academy, she was active in all her classes, also taking voice lessons from Sister Francesca Hazel.
After graduation, she entered the Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline community on September 7, 1961. She entered with 27 other young women.
Rose Marie received the habit on August 14, 1961, and took the name Sister Rose Marita. She made first vows on August 15, 1963. She made her final vows on August 15, 1968.
During her time in the novitiate, she attended Brescia College where she received a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in German. Later, she continued her education at St. John’s College in Cleveland, Ohio, where she received a master’s degree in Religious Education and Theology.
She was elected as councilor for the community from 1976 to 1984. After she finished her term on the council, she became the Vocation Director, Contact Program Coordinator and Director of Postulants.
In 1996, she was elected as Congregational Leader of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. She served in that position for eight years.
Her final years of service were at Brescia University. When Sister Marita Greenwell was ready to retire after many years serving as leader of the Contemporary Woman Program which had been started in the 1960s by Sister Francesca Hazel and Dr. Law, Sister Rose Marita rose to the challenge and nurtured the program for more than 10 years.
In 2016, she moved to the Mount and planned to work with the retreat center to continue giving workshops and retreats. Unfortunately, she was not able to do this because of health issues.
Sister Rose Marita O’Bryan, 77, died Monday, June 10, 2019, at Mount Saint Joseph in her 58th year of religious life. The funeral Mass was at 10:30 on Thursday, June 13, 2019, in the Motherhouse Chapel. Burial was in the convent cemetery.