(S. Marian Therese)
July 19, 1935 - November 15, 2022
Generous, faith-filled, kind
In July 19, 1935, Frank and Pearl (Verheyen) Muehlbauer of Green Bay, Wisconsin, welcomed their second child, a daughter, whom they named Janet Teresa. Growing up during the later years of the Great Depression, Janet remembered the many economies everyone practiced to get by. She also remembered collecting pop bottles (worth two cents); meeting Abbot Pennings from St. Norbert College as he walked the neighborhood blessing children and giving them pennies, which they spent on penny candy; and collecting aluminum foil, allowing them to get into the movies for free.
She met the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet at St. Joseph Academy. In 1953, Janet entered the community, receiving the habit and the name Sister Marian Therese in 1954. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Fontbonne College in St. Louis (1963) and her master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Hawaii in West Oahu (1970).
Sister Janet served in education as a teacher for 50 years. She began teaching primary students in the St. Louis area at St. Agnes (1956) and St. Mary’s (1958). She continued teaching primary grades at St. Anthony in Atlanta, Georgia (1965). Then, in 1967, S. Janet moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where she taught intermediate students at Holy Trinity and primary students at St. Theresa (1969). She moved to Waipahu, Oahu, in 1970 and taught junior high at St. Joseph. Returning to Honolulu in 1982, S. Janet continued teaching junior high at St. Theresa.
Sister Pat Murphy, who also lived in Hawaii, says:
Janet was a truly a beautiful person ... She was one of those generous people who did so many tasks that people didn’t realize much of it until she was gone and those tasks weren’t being done. … My favorite memories of Janet are from … when she began to camp with Sister Pat Gloriod and me. Those who know Janet well, know she was a lady. It was fun to watch her emerge from the tent in the morning, dangling earrings and all. But she loved camping, the outdoors and campfires.
In 1984, S. Janet taught junior high at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Kansas City, Missouri, until she moved to St. Elizabeth’s in 1992. A year later, she returned to Honolulu and St. Theresa’s—a ministry she held for the next 15 years. In 2008, she moved back to St. Louis and resided at the Carondelet motherhouse, where she volunteered as the hospitality associate. She also served as a tutor at the Carondelet Literacy Center until 2015. S. Janet retired as hospitality associate in 2021 but was available to help where needed. She moved to Nazareth Living Center in November 2022, dying just a couple of weeks after her arrival.
Sister Mary McGlone shares:
… As a baker, her cinnamon rolls could not be beat—not to mention many other things. Janet was a gentle presence, always supportive, and yet able to express her well-thought-out opinions on community and civic matters. … … Janet is the sort of person who gives a simple and profound witness to being all that a Sister of St. Joseph could hope to be …”
By Sister Helen Oates
Sister Janet Teresa Muehlbauer's recordings are available.
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