NEWARK — Sister Dorothy Falkowska, a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Ridgely, Md., and longtime principal of St. Elizabeth Elementary School, died Aug. 24 at St. Gertrude Monastery. She was 91 and had been a member of her religious community since 1952.
Sister Dorothy, also known as Sister Gerard, was a Wilmington native who was the youngest of Frank and Maryanne Licki Falkowska’s eight children. She attended St. Hedwig School and St. Elizabeth High School, both in Wilmington.
She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education from Villanova University and enjoyed a long career in education. She taught grades two through eight at St. Elizabeth for more than eight years before being appointed principal, holding the position for 35 years. She also taught at Sacred Heart School for a bit more than two years, the only other school at which she served.
In 2003, Sister Gerard was elected the prioress for the Ridgely Benedictines, and she served for five years. She also served as sub-prioress. When her election as prioress was announced, school officials praised Sister Dorothy, whom everyone knew as Sister Gerard.
“Sister Gerard lives and breathes the spirit of St. Benedict, and that pervades our entire elementary school,” Father Charles Dillingham, who was the pastor at the time, told The Dialog. “We have big, big shoes to fill here.”
She spent part of her sabbatical in 2006 traveling through the Holy Land In 1989 she received the “Peacemaker Among Us” Award from Pacem in Terris, and she was inducted into the St. Elizabeth Hall of Fame in 2019.
Sister enjoyed sewing, crocheting, knitting, reading and some artwork.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her seven siblings: brothers Eugene and Alesander and sisters Alice, Felician Sister Malvine, Jeannette, Katherine and Teresa. She is survived by many nieces and nephews, along with her Benedictine Sisters.
A visitation will be held Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. at Holy Family Church, 15 Gender Road, Newark, with Mass of Christian Burial at 11. Burial will take place at St. Gertrude Cemetery in Ridgely, Md., on Sept. 2. Donations in Sister Dorothy’s name can be made to the Benedictine Sisters, 25 Gender Road, Newark, DE 19713, Online condolences can be made at mealeyfuneralhomes.com.
