Sister Mary Celeste Cour, OSU, 96, formerly of Crystal City and De Soto, died Feb. 24, 2020, at St. Andrew’s at Francis Place in Eureka. She attended the Ursuline Academy in Springfield, Ill., before joining the Ursuline Sisters of Crystal City in 1944 and making her vows in 1947. She earned a bachelor’s degree in math from the College of New Rochelle in New York and a master’s degree in education from the University of Notre Dame. She taught briefly in Galveston, Texas, before serving for eight years in British Guyana and Barbados.
After returning to the U.S., she taught math at Ursuline Academy in Springfield, Ill., and served as bursar for Springfield College. She took on several leadership roles in Springfield, Ill., New Orleans, La., Crystal City and De Soto. She served as provincial of the Central Province from 1984 to 1990, and during her years of ministry in Crystal City and De Soto, she was active in the St. Rose of Lima Parish in De Soto.
Born Jan. 11, 1924, in Springfield, Ill., she was the daughter of the late Frances Irene (Greeley) and Raymond F. Cour.
She donated her body to St. Louis University. A memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 28, at Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 676 W. Lockwood Ave., in St. Louis. Memorials may be made to the Ursuline Sisters Retirement Fund, 353 S. Sappington Road, St. Louis, 63122.