Sister Adrian Davis legacy will live on

Sister Adrian Davis, beloved leader of Memorial Hospital died on Saturday at the age of 77.

Sister Adrian came to Memorial Hospital as President and C.E.O. in 1992 and began serving as board Chairperson in 1999.

To those who came to know and love her, she represented the embodiment of the highest quality of service to all patients who came through the doors of the hospital. Her strong motivation to make the hospital a place where healing ministry excels made her the best leader at the right time for Memorial.

CEO Ray Snowden agrees and shared a story about her dedication to her mission. Shortly after she started with Memorial in 1992, she was challenged with an Emergency Department that was struggling with quality care. She was told that she couldn’t create a high quality care Emergency Department in such a small hospital.

Sister Adrian Davis took exception to that comment and Snowden said that she went on to hire five exceptional Emergency Department Physicians who remain in the hospital today. He says it was a turning pointing in the hospital as she pushed to increase the quality of service in every department.

Sister Adrian has left an indelible mark on the community through her work at Memorial Hospital. She was incredibly focused on her work, and passionately involved in giving to those who were less fortunate. Her love for her mission was evident everywhere in the hospital.

Sister Adrian Davis will be laid to rest on Saturday at 9:30 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church in a ceremony that will be as much a celebration of her life as it is a somber service of reflection on the loss of a dear friend and community leader who will be impossible to replace.

Obituary

Sister M. Adrian Davis, L.C.M., Ph.D., Board Chairperson of Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper since 1999, passed away Saturday, May 26 at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Evansville, Indiana.

She was born January 19, 1935 in Davenport, Iowa to Harold Alpha and Cecelia Ann (Baranski) Davis.

She is survived by her religious community, Little Company of Mary Sisters, and her sister, Judith Bradley, Lexington, Kentucky, as well as nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Charles and Robert Davis.

She entered the Little Company of Mary Sisters in Evergreen Park, Illinois on June 8, 1953. Her profession of temporary vows was held on April 28, 1956 and her final vows were made on August 15, 1960.

Sister M. Adrian served on many international LCM congregational and provincial committees and commissions. She was currently serving as a provincial councilor on the LCM American Province Leadership Team.

Sister M. Adrian received her nursing diploma in 1959 from the Little Company of Mary Hospital School of Nursing in Evergreen Park, Illinois, and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1964 from DePaul University in Chicago. She received a Master of Science degree in Social Work from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1970. In 1983, she received her Ph.D. in Social Work with a concentration in Health Care Organizational Development, Health Care Planning, and Health Care Delivery Systems from University of Illinois in Chicago.

Sister M. Adrian began her professional career in 1959 as Head Nurse of the Newborn Nursery at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, becoming Supervisor of Pediatrics in 1965 and Supervisor of the Obstetrics/Gynecology Department in 1966. From 1970–1972, she served as Instructor of Medical Social Work at Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine in Chicago. She served as Director of the Department of Patient and Family Counseling at Little Company of Mary Hospital from 1972–1983. She was instrumental in developing the first hospice program at Little Company of Mary Hospital and served as Department Director in 1983. She became Vice President of Mercy Health Services North in Grayling, Michigan in 1984. It was in 1992 that Sr. M. Adrian became President and Chief Executive Officer at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper, and began serving as Board Chairperson in 1999.

Her corporate appointments include the Boards of Directors of Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park (1975–1984); Little Company of Mary Health Facility in San Pierre, Indiana (President and Chairperson 1981–1984); Barrett Foundation in Jasper (1981–1984); Corporate Board of the American Province of LCM Sisters in Evergreen Park (1980-1986); Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper (1992-present, serving as Chairperson since 1999); Health Care Services Corporation in Evansville (1993-2008, serving as Chairperson alternate years); Providence Saint Joseph / Holy Cross Board, San Fernando Valley Service Area, California (2000-2005); Providence Health and Services System, Seattle, Washington (2005-present).

Sr. M. Adrian also served on various committees of the Indiana Hospital and Health Association beginning in 1993 including the Board of Directors (1996-1997). Locally, she served on the Domestic and Sexual Violence Advisory Committee (1995-1999); Jasper Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (1996-1997); and Dubois County Community Foundation’s Long-Range Planning Committee (1997-present).

Sr. M. Adrian had many career accomplishments, and Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center is a lasting legacy of her passion to bring the healing ministry of Jesus to the people of the Dubois County region. She was very generous with her gifts, and many families have benefited from her skills with needle and thread, as she had special expertise in sewing heirloom Baptismal gowns and dresses for First Communion and other special occasions.

Funeral services for Sister M. Adrian Davis will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 2 in St. Joseph Catholic Church with burial to follow in the Little Company of Mary Cemetery Plot in St. Joseph Cemetery in Jasper. Friends may call from Noon to 8:00 p.m. Friday, June 1 at Becher-Kluesner North Chapel in Jasper. A prayer vigil will be held at 7:00 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Sister M. Adrian Davis Endowment Fund for the Underinsured and Mission-Based Services with Memorial Hospital Foundation, or to the LCM Sisters Retirement Fund with the American Province Little Company of Mary.