Sr. Jo Ann Lucas, OP, formerly known as Sister Agnes Francis, died on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at her home in Troy, Michigan. She was 87 years of age and in the 69th year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican Congregation.
Sister Jo Ann was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Frank and Agnes (Rohde) Lucas. She graduated from Mercy High School in Chicago and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin and a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration, both from Siena Heights College (University) in Adrian.
Sister Jo Ann spent 15 years ministering in education in Clawson and Detroit, Michigan, including six years as principal at St. Gemma in Detroit. She served 16 years as a religious education coordinator at St. Anastasia in Troy, while also serving the Congregation for six of those years as Chapter Prioress of the Nokomis Chapter. She then continued for six years as parish administrator at St. Anastasia. Sister served one and one-half years as a bookkeeper for the AIDS Interfaith Network in Detroit, then five years as parish business manager at St. Alphonsus in Dearborn. She served the Congregation for 12 years as director of the Ministry Trust.
Sister was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by two brothers, David Lucas (Laurinda) and Frank Lucas (Donna) of Martinez; other loving family and her Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Prayers of Committal will be held at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in St. Catherine Chapel. A Memorial Mass will be offered in St. Catherine Chapel on a date to be announced. Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221.
Those who are not attending services in person are welcome to participate via live stream at https://adriandominicans.org/Live-Stream.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Anderson-Marry Funeral Home, Adrian.
Obituaries for clergy and religious who have lived or served in the Archdiocese of Detroit may be emailed to [email protected]. Obituaries are printed as they are submitted, but may be edited for grammar and style. Detroit Catholic reserves the right to refuse or edit any submissions.
