SISTER MARIE JOHN TOOMEY, SC, age 92, died at Caritas Christi, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg, on November 9, 2019. An Altoona, PA native, Sister Marie John entered the congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill on September 8, 1946, from Sacred Heart Parish, Altoona. Preceded in death by parents, John J. and Marie C. (Inlow) Toomey, a sister, Sara Jane Lear, she is survived by twin brothers, John E. and Joseph C. Toomey, nieces and nephews. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Music from Seton Hill University and a master’s degree in Music from Duquesne University. Sister Marie John taught music to elementary and secondary students in schools of the Altoona-Johnstown and Pittsburgh dioceses. She taught piano to private students, directed choirs and choruses in addition to liturgy preparation. Of her life as a Sister of Charity, she once reflected, “I am grateful to God and the Sisters of Charity for their love and support and for providing the opportunity for me to develop my gift of music which I have shared with others.”
