Sister Patricia “Pat” Frueh SL, formerly known as Sister Vincent Marie, passed away on November 15, 2025, at the Loretto Living Center in Nerinx, Kentucky. She was 92 years old and had dedicated 73 years of her life to the Sisters of Loretto.
Born on May 5, 1933, in Afton, Sister Pat was the daughter of Ethyl (Heine) and John Frueh. She joined the Sisters of Loretto on April 25, 1953, marking the beginning of a lifetime commitment to education and service. Sister Pat earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Webster College (now Webster University) in 1957 and later a master’s degree in teaching religious education in 1969. In 1987, she obtained an associate degree in nursing from Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado, and became a registered nurse.
Throughout her ministry, Sister Pat taught and provided nursing services across multiple states, including Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and New Mexico. Her teaching career began at St. Cronan School in St. Louis from 1957 to 1958. She continued to dedicate her expertise as a primary coordinator at St. Ferdinand in Florissant from 1958 to 1964, and held various teaching roles at St. Ann in Normandy and Immaculate Conception in Maplewood, among others.
In Kentucky, she taught at St. Jerome School in Fairdale from 1966 to 1969 and coordinated religious education at both St. Jerome and St. Bernard in Louisville until 1982. Her teaching journey also took her to Creston Catholic Community School in Iowa and St. Francis School in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Sister Pat’s nursing career began at the Loretto Motherhouse Infirmary in Nerinx from 1987 to 1992, where she provided exceptional care. She later worked with Care Tenders in Elizabethtown and Lincoln Trail Home Health in Springfield and Lebanon until 1998. Afterward, she served as a community health nurse, volunteer, and hospice worker in eastern Kentucky until 2000.
In her later years, Sister Pat returned to the Loretto Motherhouse, where she took on various roles including part-time convent nurse and gardener until 2016. Known for her culinary skills and dedication to gardening, she also practiced “healing touch” massage and offered her support as a eucharistic minister at the infirmary.
Sister Pat was celebrated for her kindness and random acts of generosity, bringing joy to those around her. Reflecting on her vocation, she once wrote, “Overall, I am blessed to have a religious vocation and have enjoyed my ministries. I thank all who were instrumental in my becoming a Sister of Loretto.”
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother John (Jack) E. Frueh, and sisters Claudine T. Moore and Margaret A. Shepherd. Sister Pat is survived by her siblings William D. (Denise) Frueh of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Charles F. (Martha) Frueh of Fort Smith, Arkansas, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
A wake was held on November 23, 2025, followed by a funeral Mass on November 24, celebrated by Rev. Terry Bradshaw at the Loretto Motherhouse. Sister Pat was laid to rest in Our Lady of Sorrows Cemetery on the Motherhouse grounds. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of Loretto for their mission at the Loretto Motherhouse, located at 515 Nerinx Road, Nerinx, KY 40049, or online at www.lorettocommunity.org.
