Sister Elizabeth Rodkewich, OP, died April 4, 2025, at St. Dominic Villa, Hazel Green, Wis. Her Remembering Service and Funeral Liturgy will take place at St. Dominic Villa Thursday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m. Casey-McNett Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
She was born Oct. 3, 1938, to John Rodkewich in Washburn, Wis., and was the stepdaughter of Alice (Grace) Rodkewich. She professed vows with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in 1964 and received the religious name Sister Francis Xavier. She received her RN from Mercy Hospital, Dubuque, Ia., and a BS in nursing from Mt. Mercy College, Cedar Rapids, Ia.
Sister Elizabeth’s ministry was dedicated to health care and nursing. In Iowa, she served as LPN and RN at St. Dominic Villa, Dubuque. She then moved to Los Angeles, Calif., and worked as RN and field nurse for the Visiting Nurses Association, RN at Alhambra School District, and health care worker at Accent Home Care. In her retirement years, Sister Elizabeth dedicated herself to ministry among the poor. She was a faithful volunteer at the Los Angeles Catholic Worker Hospitality Kitchen. An avid reader and lifelong learner, she found a creative outlet in poetry and also found deep meaning in spiritual reading.
She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, one in infancy and John Rodkewich, Jr. She is survived by a brother, Mike Rodkewich; two sisters, Mary Jane Geisert and Sharon Rodkewich; and her Dominican Sisters. Memorials may be made to the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, Wis., or given online at www.sinsinawa.org/donate.