Franciscan was a teacher, speech pathologist, Hollywood inspiration
Sister M. Olivia Gibson, a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities for 71 years, peacefully embraced Sister Death at St. Francis Convent in Honolulu on March 19, the solemnity of St. Joseph, patron of a happy death. She was 90.
A devoted teacher who specialized in speech therapy, Sister Olivia served in Catholic schools in three states and on three Hawaiian islands. Her work as a speech pathologist in Syracuse, N.Y., inspired a movie starring Elvis Presley and Mary Tyler Moore, who played Sister Olivia.
She said she was motivated to join the Franciscans in high school after reading a biography of Mother Marianne. While never able to serve in Kalaupapa because she was not a nurse, she spent 30 years in St. Marianne’s mission territory of Hawaii.
Sister Olivia was born on August 22, 1924, in Harrison, N.J., to Scottish immigrants John and Philomena Goldie Gibson. Her baptismal name was Marie. She graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Newark and entered the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse on Sept. 8, 1942. She was invested on March 25, 1943, and made her final vows on August 19, 1948.
Sister Olivia received a bachelor of science degree in English from LeMoyne College, Syracuse, and a master of arts degree in speech pathology from the Catholic University of America in Washington. She belonged to professional organizations related to speech, hearing and theater.
Most of her active ministry was education. She taught at St. Anthony School, Utica, N.Y.; Assumption Academy, The Convent School and Maria Regina College in Syracuse; St. Joseph School in Camden, N.J.; and St. Martha School, Sarasota, Fla.
She first served in Hawaii from 1947 to 1950, then from 1988 until her death. She taught at St. Joseph School, Hilo; Sacred Heart School, Lahaina; and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pearl City.
Sister Olivia directed and taught in the Maria Regina Speech Clinic in Syracuse from 1963 to 1970. As a speech pathologist, she enabled many non-speakers and poor speakers, those having congenital conditions and those suffering from acquired illnesses and physical traumas, to speak with clarity and confidence. She once said the secret to her success was love.
Her dedication provided the inspiration for the feature-length film “A Change of Habit,” produced by Universal Pictures and starring Presley and Moore. The movie was the effort of Hollywood producer Joseph Connelly to “show a dedicated nun who is also a woman doing a job that has to be done.”
Sister Olivia was also the moderator of the drama department of The Convent School and Maria Regina College. During visits to California and elsewhere, she met Olivia de Haviland, Irene Dunne, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Brian Keith, Angela Lansbury and Ruth Warrick. She never met Elvis Presley.
Sister Olivia was the office manager for the Spiritual Services Department at St. Francis Medical Center, Honolulu, from 1994 to 2009 when she retired. She spent the remaining years of her life as a community and prayer minister at St. Francis Convent.
In 2013, on the 70th anniversary of religious life, she wrote: “God has blessed me at every step of the journey that is my life. The gift of caring for others was mine at an early age, and as the call to religious life slowly took hold, it has been a source of joy. To see a child who never spoke finally be able to say what he wanted, to see a young, mischievous girl finally settle down, to be asked to be a confirmation sponsor — I delighted in seeing my students succeed, overcome obstacles and experience moments of personal triumph.”
Last June, Sister Olivia traveled to Scotland to visit her familial homeland and to celebrate her 90th birthday with family and friends. She enjoyed herself thoroughly and was grateful to be able to be with them one last time.
Sister was preceded in death by her parents, her stepmother Elizabeth Gibson and her stepbrother John Wallace. She is survived by a niece Elisa Latkovich and nephews Glen and Wayne Wallace of New Jersey, cousins Rana Keane, Donald Keane and Stephen Keane of Scotland; cousin Marie Elbert of Florida; close friends Ellen McLoughlin of Florida, Margaret Cox and Kathy Walker of Syracuse, and the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities.
Sister Olivia’s funeral was scheduled for April 6 at St. Francis Convent. Her inurnment was to take place at Diamond Head Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Retirement Fund of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, St. Francis Convent 2715 Pamoa Road, Honolulu HI 96822-1885.
