Sister Alma Maria Van Buren, OP, of Dominican Convent, Sparkill, New York, died on, August 8, 2015 in Siena Hall, Sparkill, NY.
Born in North White Plains, NY on May 25, 1925, Alma was the daughter of David E. and Mary G. Sexton Van Buren. She entered the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary in Sparkill on October 1, 1944 and received the name Sister Mary Nicholas. She professed her first vows in 1946 and her final vows in 1951.
Sister Alma Maria earned a BS in Education from Fordham University in 1950, a MS in Biology from Catholic University in 1959 and a MA in Bible Study from Providence College in 1981.
Sister Alma Maria was an elementary and high school teacher. She taught at St. John Chrysostom, Bronx, NY (1946-51); St. Helena HS, Bronx, NY (1951-52); Cathedral HS, New York, NY (1952-62); St. Edmund HS (1962-76); Mercy HS, Biloxi, MS, (1981-85); St. Dominic HS, St. Louis, MO (1985-86); Corpus Christi, St. Louis, MO (1986-88) and Annunciation School, Crestwood, NY (1996-97). Sister Alma Maria spent many years in parish ministry as a Religious Education Coordinator and Pastoral Minister. She served in St. Christopher Parish, Red Hook, NY (1976-80); St. Bernard Parish, Cohoes, NY (1980-81) and the Shrine of St. Patrick, Jefferson City, MO (1988-96). From 1997-2005 Sister worked as a resident counselor at Camp Venture in Sparkill, NY. She became a resident of Siena Hall in 2014.
Sister Alma Maria is predeceased by her parents David E. and Mary G. Sexton Van Buren and her brothers David N. (Nicholas) and John A. (Austin). She is survived by her brothers Edgar S. Van Buren of Marlborough, MA; Peter A. Van Buren of Albany, NY and her sister-in-law, Katherine Van Buren of Florida. She will be missed by her many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
We will remember Sister Alma Maria for her love of learning and for her dedication as an excellent teacher and mentor to her students. She loved life and had a special fondness for her family and friends. We are grateful for her seventy years as a Dominican Sister of Sparkill. May she be at peace in the kingdom prepared by the God who loved her.