Retired Saint Anselm College English Professor Sister Amy Hoey, R.S.M., died at the age 89 on August 14, 2020 at Warde Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Windham, N.H., after a period of declining health.
Sister Amy (formerly M. Amy Xavier), a Sister of Mercy for 68 years, was a native of East Boston, Mass., and the daughter of the late Matthew and Amy (Hamilton) Hoey. Sr. Amy held degrees in English, a bachelor of arts from Emmanuel College in Boston, a master of arts from Boston College, and a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut/Storrs.
She entered the Sisters of Mercy order in 1952 where teaching seemed the best way for her to serve, saying “teaching was my life.” After teaching in elementary and secondary schools in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, she served as a faculty member of Mount Saint Mary College in Hooksett, N.H., and as academic dean and college president. Following the closing of Mount Saint Mary in 1978, she served in the English Department until 1980 and was instrumental in establishing the Mount Saint Mary College Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Sr. Amy’s teaching gave way to a passion for leadership. In 1980 she was elected to be Reverend Mother of Sisters of Mercy in New Hampshire, and then the wider Mercy community in Rochester, N.Y., and Washington, D.C., until 1995. At that time she also worked as project coordinator at the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops.
All who knew Sr. Amy will remember her as a joyful, driven member of the Sisters of Mercy Order, an advocate for the aging, and for living her faith with a lot of compassion and laughter – and chocolate. The Sisters of Mercy was founded in Ireland in 1827 to serve the poor, sick and uneducated.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy-Northeast, 15 Highland View Road, Cumberland, RI 02864-1124, and online through their website.