In Memoriam: Sister Michelle Wilwohl, OSB
March 13, 1936 – October 6, 2026
Our sister, Michelle, delighted in you,
glorious God of all creation.
Now, her deep and fervent prayer
has reached its fulfillment in you.
Michelle’s life was deeply rooted in the
Scriptures she loved and the Rule of Benedict.
Out of this grounding grew Michelle’s love
for her God, her family, her sisters,
and for all those to whom she ministered.
Michelle bestowed blessings generously,
always with a smile and sign of the cross.
Her presence itself blessed our monastery grounds,
when on her regular walks she stopped
to greet a flower or marvel before a tree.
We thank you, O God, for the miracle of Michelle.
May our prayer, too, be as constant and deep as hers. Amen.
Sister Michelle Wilwohl, OSB, 90, died on October 6, 2026, at Mount St. Benedict Monastery in Erie. She was born in Pittsburgh on March 13, 1936, to Catherine Donohue and Edward Wilwohl, who named their daughter Catherine Marie. The family moved to Erie and settled in Holy Rosary Parish where Catherine attended grade school. In 1954 she graduated from St. Benedict Academy where she was a star basketball player. Shortly after graduation she entered the Benedictine Sisters where her name in religion became Sister Michelle. She made her final monastic profession on January 3, 1959.
Sister Michelle loved being a primary school teacher and taught at schools throughout the diocese beginning in 1956. She taught at Sacred Heart Parish in Sharon, St. Stephan Parish in Oil City, St. Mary’s Parish in Erie, St. Joseph Parish in Sharon, St. Gregory Parish in North East, St. Joseph Parish in Oil City, and Mount Calvary Parish in Erie, completing her teaching career in 1968.
For ten years each summer Sister Michelle worked on her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education at Mercyhurst College (now University), completing the degree in 1968. She became a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1969 through the Erie County School District and earned a Permanent Teacher Certificate from Mercyhurst in 1992. In the 1980s Sister Michelle spent several years as an extern sister at the former Carmel of the Holy Family Monastery, considering, and deciding against, the possibility of a Carmelite vocation.
After her initial years in teaching, Sister Michelle went into nursing, first as an LPN at Hamot Hospital for six years and then as an LPN in the Special Care Nursery at St. Vincent Health Center. In 1988 Sister Michelle returned to teaching for another five years, at St. Gregory Parish in North East and at Holy Trinity Parish in Erie. She then left teaching for good, working as an office assistant and volunteer coordinator at Villa Conference Center from 1994-2002. She moved to St. Benedict Education Center where she was the assistant to the director of employment until 2011 when she became a kitchen aide at the monastery for a number of years. Sister Michelle collaborated for brief periods at Glinodo Summer Camp and Conference Center and at Benet Press. Most recently, she has spent her days offering kind words around the monastery and remembering everyone in prayer.
Sister Michelle was devoted to the Liturgy of the Hours prayed daily with her Benedictine community, and she loved the Eucharist. She regularly attended daily Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral where she also sang in the choir. She was a member of the sisters’ schola, or choir. Sister Michelle delighted in being outside, walking the monastery grounds, admiring the beauty around her, praying for those she loved. She was also a black belt in karate.
In addition to her parents, Sister Michelle was preceded in death by her brothers, Edward “Bud” Wilwohl, James “Jay” Wilwohl, and Joseph Wilwohl. She is survived by three sisters, Sister Dorothy Wilwohl, SSJ, Fran Page, and Jean Dunkle and her husband Charles Dunkle, many nieces and nephews, and her Benedictine Community.
Services will take place at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery: Thursday, October 8, Visitation from 2:00-5:00 p.m. and a Service of Memories at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, October 9, Visitation from 2:00-5:00 p.m. and a Mass of Christian Burial at 5:30 p.m. Interment will be Saturday, October 10, at 9:30 a.m. at Trinity Cemetery. Brugger Funeral Homes and Crematory, Pine Avenue Branch, 845 East 38th Street, is handling arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, 6101 East Lake Road, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16511.
Memorials may be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, 6101 East Lake Road, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16511, click here.
