Sr. Ann Aseltyne, IHM, 92, died Tuesday, Oct. 23, at IHM Senior Living Community, Monroe.
Sister Ann was born in Detroit on May 3, 1926, to parents Arthur and Catherine (Burke) Aseltyne. Baptized Helen Mary in St. Peter and Paul Parish, she attended the nearby St. Mary of Redford Grade and High Schools. Upon graduation, Helen entered the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Monroe and received the religious name, Sister Ann Arthur.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Marygrove College, Detroit, Sister Ann went on to earn a Master of Education degree from Wayne State University in 1966. Her ministry in elementary education took her to many parishes in the Detroit area: St. Martin, St. Raymond and Annunciation; Holy Name in Birmingham; Hall of the Divine Child, Monroe; and to Ohio at St. Mary, Lorain. In the mid-1960s, she spent several years at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School in Minnetonka, Minn. She advanced as principal and spent 15 years in that position at St. Felicitas in Chicago.
In 1987, Sister Ann was missioned to teach at the Gbewaah Teacher Training College in Ghana, West Africa, for the next six years. She later instructed young teachers at St. John Bosco College, Ghana; Howick Parish, Merrivale, South Africa; and Uganda Martyrs University, Lampala, Uganda. After spending 15 years at various IHM missions in Africa, Sister Ann returned to the United States in 2004.
Upon returning to Michigan, Sister Ann continued to teach and volunteer at St. Mary of Redford and Holy Redeemer schools while she resided in Southgate, and later in Riverview. In late 2017, she retired to the IHM Motherhouse.
Sister Ann is survived by her sister, Patricia (Helen Mary) Aseltyne, IHM, and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Arthur and William.
Visitation will be held at the IHM Motherhouse, 610 W. Elm Ave., Monroe, on Monday, Oct. 29, beginning at 9 a.m., followed by a Remembering and Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery on the Motherhouse Campus. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rupp Funeral Home, Monroe, Mich. Memorials may be made to the IHM Retirement Fund, 610 W. Elm Ave., Monroe, MI 48162-7909.