Sister Ann Magdalen Varden, OP, of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, New York, died suddenly on November 12, 2014 in Nyack Hospital. Born in Monroe, NY on January 25, 1917, Mildred was the daughter of James and Ellen Malone Varden. She entered the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary in Sparkill on September 8, 1940 and received the name Sister Ann Magdalen. She professed her first vows in 1942 and her final vows in 1947.
Sister earned a B.S. in Behavioral Sciences from Mercy College, NY and an RN in Nursing from Hackensack Hospital School of Nursing, NJ.
During her professional life, Sister Ann Magdalen used her nursing skills in the NY Archdiocese at St. Ignatius Day Nursery, NYC, NY (1943-46) and (1958-59); Cardinal McCloskey Home, White Plains, NY (1946-49) and (1951-58); Rosary Villa, Sparkill, NY (1949-51); St. Agnes Home, Sparkill, NY (1959-68); and St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY (1973-77). Sr. Ann Magdalen was a staff member at Villa St. Joseph, Saugerties, NY from 1977- 1990 where she offered hospitality to the guests who came to the Villa. For many years she offered local community service in the Finance Office at Dominican Convent in Sparkill. In 2012 Sr. Ann Magdalen became a resident of Siena Hall where she remained active and was a wonderful presence to all.
Sr. Ann Magdalen is predeceased by her parents James and Ellen Malone Varden and is survived by her nephew Timothy James Varden (Susan), Goshen, NY and her grandniece Kaeli and her fiancé Daniel Jones.
Sister Ann Magdalen could often be seen sharing a cup of coffee with her sisters, reading the newspaper in the community room and making daily visits to the chapel. She was a delightful person who always had a smile for anyone she would meet. She was faithful to the God she loved and to the life she chose as a Dominican Sister. We are grateful for her seventy-four years in the congregation and thank God for her life and her goodness. May the Lord shine His light upon her and give her eternal rest in the kingdom of heaven.