The daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Peak Floyd of Rome, Ky., Anna Belle was born April 6, 1896, the seventh child in a family of 12 children. She attended St. Martin School in Rome where she excelled in reading and grammar.
Anna Belle felt the call to religious life and entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph, as did her twin sisters, Emma and Ella. After a postulancy of three months, the three received the Ursuline habit on November 28, 1917. Anna Belle received the name Sister Theophane, Emma the name Sister Clarissa, and Ella the name Sister Mary Clara.
Sister Theophane began her teaching apostolate at St. Francis School, Chicago, Ky. This was the beginning of her years of directing altar boys. She taught in both the public and parochial schools of Kentucky: Chicago, Holy Cross, Calvary, Fancy Farm, Knottsville, Raywick, Curdsville, Owensboro (St. Joseph), and Sorgho. Sister Theophane was a good teacher, loved by her pupils, respected by parents. She was humorous and entertained with her many jokes and recitation of comical poetry. Following a nervous breakdown in 1938, Sister Theophane was taken to St. Joseph Sanitarium, Dubuque, Iowa, for treatment. She responded to therapy received there. In November 1952, she was transferred to Our Lady of Mercy Sanitarium, Dyer, Ind., until her condition warranted her return to Mount Saint Joseph. Sister Theophane was brought back to Maple Mount on August 21, 1959, and placed in the Motherhouse infirmary. Her condition remained stable and she was able to do some simple chores for the other Sisters in the infirmary. She found it comforting to take long walks around campus, resting in the sun or shade, in all seasons.
After suffering a stroke on February 2, 1971, Sister Theophane died the following day. Father Bernard Powers, chaplain, celebrated her funeral Mass on February 5. Sister’s remains are laid to rest in the convent cemetery. Among her survivors was her Ursuline sister, Sister Mary Clara whose twin, Emma, was no longer an Ursuline.