Sister Constance Santilla, FSSJ, 1945-2024

Sister Constance Santilla, FSSJ, died peacefully on Nov. 24, 2024, in her 79th year of life and the 59th year of religious life. 

Born Nov. 21, 1945, in Newark, New Jersey, Sister Constance entered the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph from Trenton. She received a bachelor of arts degree from Caldwell College (now Caldwell University), New Jersey, and a master of arts degree from Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Sister Constance’s ministries have included teaching at Corpus Christi School in Buffalo, St. Vincent School in North Evans, and Our Lady of the Rosary School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She also performed missionary work in Rio Verde in the Diocese of Jatai, Brazil, where she was director of the Creche Day Care Center. She served as director of religious education at Sacred Heart Parish in Danbury, Connecticut, and as a tutor at St. Michael’s Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Sister Constance is survived by her cousins, nieces, nephews, and her sisters in community. She is predeceased by her parents Gerald Gervasi and Anna (Murphy) Gervasi  Santilla and her siblings William Gervasi and Mary Jo Santilla. 

Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours Tuesday, Nov. 26, 4-6 p.m. with a memorial prayer service to be held at 6 p.m. at St. Francis Park Chapel, 5229 South Park Ave., Hamburg. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, Nov. 27, 9:30 a.m. from St. Francis Park Chapel. Interment will be in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Cheektowaga.