On June 14, 2025, Sister Colleen Ann Nagle, a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and Executive Director of the Franciscan Life Process Center in Lowell, Michigan, entered eternal life after a long and faith filled battle with cancer and its complications.
Sister Colleen Ann was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin on April 15, 1949, the daughter of the late John and Colleen Nagle. She graduated from Williams Bay High School in Williams Bay, WI, in 1967 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education in 1971 from Viterbo College in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. While in college she became acquainted with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and entered that Community in 1973. She taught in Catholic schools in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; Blackfoot, Idaho; Cloquet, Minnesota; and at the Franciscan Pre-School in Lowell, Michigan.
In 1981, Sister Colleen Ann professed perpetual vows within the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and in 1985 earned an MA degree in counseling with a focus on child development from Michigan State University.
In 1991 Sister Colleen Ann spearheaded the construction of the Franciscan Life Process Center, north of Lowell, which provided the space and environment for the many outreaches of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in West Michigan. She also responded to the many needs of the area and Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids by serving on many area boards, giving talks, working in Catholic Schools as a counselor, providing retreats, and helping many persons find their way through difficult and challenging circumstances. Sister Colleen Ann was always looking toward the future and has laid the groundwork for the work that she initiated to continue the mission of the Franciscan Life Process Center.
She is survived by her Franciscan Community of Sisters, Brothers and Apprentices, her brother James, his wife, Kathy, and nephew Andy, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, as well as innumerable friends, co-workers, clients and many others. She was preceded in death by her parents and her niece, Jamie.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from 4pm to 7pm at the Chapel at the Annunciation of the Franciscan Life Process Center, 11650 Downes Street NE, Lowell, MI. A Mass of Christian burial will take place at 11am on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at St. Robert of Newminster Catholic Church, 6477 Ada Drive SE, Ada, MI with visitation one hour prior. Arrangements are in the care of Roth-Gerst Funeral Home, Lowell, MI. Donations in her memory will be put towards the completion of the ReVITAlize Project, a vision that Sister Colleen Ann initiated to update the Franciscan Life Process building and campus.