Mary Lucille was born May 31, 1909, in Uniontown, Ky., to Robert S. and Mary Lillie Pike Clark. Her faith life began with her baptism on July 14, 1909. Her father died in November 1911. To earn a livelihood for herself and small daughter, Mary Lillie took the job as housekeeper for the pastor. Lucille and her mother followed the priest as he was transferred to various parishes in the Diocese of Louisville. The only home she knew as a child was a parish rectory. Lucille attended several elementary schools in Kentucky: St. William, Knottsville; St Leo, Louisville; St. Francis, Raywick; and St. Charles (Marion County).
Her mother died before Lucille entered high school and she went to live with an aunt, Sister Amadeus Pike, at Mount Saint Joseph. During the school term, she attended classes at Mount Saint Joseph Academy and spent the summer months with her grandmother Pike in Rhodelia. After graduation from Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Lucille went to Louisville to live with Aunt Lucille, her mother’s sister, and worked there for two years.
On September 8, 1931, Lucille, along with seven other young ladies, entered the Mount Saint Joseph novitiate and began preparation for life as an Ursuline. On March 19, 1932, she took the habit and received the name Sister Tresine. She professed first vows on March 20, 1934 and began teaching the first grade at St. Columba School in Louisville. The remainder of her teaching career was spent teaching primary grades at Central City, Ky., Affton, Mo., then in Kentucky at St. Joseph (Raywick), Fredericktown, St. Columba (Louisville), and SS. Joseph and Paul (Owensboro). Beginning in 1978, Sister Tresine taught special education class at Immaculate School in Owensboro. She retired from full-time classroom teaching in 1981, resided at Blessed Mother in Owensboro and commuted to Immaculate School to continue tutoring in remedial reading.
In 1988, Sister Tresine retired from teaching, and came to the Motherhouse. She spent the next seven years in peaceful acceptance of declining health, contributing to the work and prayer of community living. On November 19, 1995, she died at Owensboro-Mercy Health System. Sister’s remains are buried in the community cemetery. Sister Tresine was preceded in death by her Ursuline aunt, Sister Amadeus Pike.