4th nun from Our Lady of the Angels dies, tests positive for COVID-19 post mortem
Sister Annelda Holtkamp
GREENFIELD -- A fourth nun from Our Lady of the Angels convent in Greenfield passed away as a result of the coronavirus, FOX6 News learned on Friday, April 24. Officials say Sister Annelda Holtkamp died April 19.
According to the medical examiner, post mortem testing revealed that Sister Annelda, age 102, tested positive for COVID-19.
Sister Annelda was born in St. Paul, Iowa, and was a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis for 77 years.
She served as a homemaker at the sisters’ convents in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Nebraska, including 33 years at St. Joseph High School convent in Kenosha, from 1959 to 1992. Sister continued to work at St. Mary Convent in Chilton, Wisconsin, until she retired in 2005 at age 87. She has been a resident of Our Lady of the Angels since the convent opened in 2011.
A private funeral has been scheduled for Friday, April 24. A memorial Mass will be held in St. Joseph Chapel in Milwaukee for sisters, family members, and friends of Sister Annelda after the danger of COVID-19 has passed and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee once again permits public celebrations of the Eucharist.
Jane Morgan, Administrator for Our Lady of the Angels Convent, issued the following statement:
"For many weeks, Our Lady of the Angels has been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the Milwaukee County Health Department, infection control specialists, and the Greenfield Health Department for months to protect our sisters and staff against COVID-19; and once the presence of the virus was identified, to prevent further spread.
"Our Lady of the Angels is a co-sponsored ministry of the School Sisters of St. Francis and the School Sisters of Notre Dame. It is a state-of-the-art home for retired sisters of both communities and offers specialized memory care.
"We are also working closely with the leadership of the School Sisters of St. Francis and the School Sisters of Notre Dame to keep them informed.
"We welcome prayers for the health and comfort of our residents and staff as we grieve the loss of our sister."