NORTH SMITHFIELD — Franciscan Missionary of Mary Sister Virginia Daly, 82, died Aug. 22 at St. Antoine Residence.
Born in Boston, Mass., she was the daughter of the late John and Catherine (Sullivan) Daly. She entered the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in North Providence on Sept. 16, 1945.
After pronouncing her first vows on March 19, 1948, she was sent in mission to Our Lady of Good Help, East Boston where she cared for children. In 1949, she was missioned to care for physically challenged children at Kennedy Memorial Hospital, now known as Franciscan Hospital for Children, Brighton, Mass.
After pronouncing her final vows on June 13, 1951, Sister Daly was missioned to St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine, Boston where she served as an assistant to the superior. In 1957, she served as a group mother in Divine Providence Shelter, New York City.
In 1962, she was missioned to the former Mt. St. Francis Orphanage and School, Woonsocket.
Sister Daly served for several years as the provincial treasurer in New York City, and subsequently pursued studies leading to a master’s degree in gerontology. She began her ministry to the elderly at the Fruit Hill Day Center in 1988, and later served as the center’s executive director until 2002.
Former Gov. Lincoln Almond cited Sister Daly for her ministry to the elderly in 2001.
She is survived by her sister, Katherine O’Leary of Boston; and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Aug. 25 in Holy Family Chapel. Burial was in the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary Cemetery, Fruit Hill.
