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Mercy Sister Mary Edith Hurley with Irish coffee after 2019 St. Patrick’s Day parade in San Francisco. Sister Mary Edith celebrates her 100th birthday on Nov. 15, 2020.
Catholic San Francisco
Nov. 12, 2020
Nov. 15, 2020 has been named Sister Mary Edith Hurley Day in San Francisco by proclamation of the Board of Supervisors, the day Sister Mary Edith celebrates her 100th birthday.
One of the most extroverted Sisters of Mercy in San Francisco, Sister Mary Edith Hurley is celebrating her 100th birthday on Nov. 15, 2020. “A great people person, loving and gracious to everyone,” as her friend Mercy Sister Mary Kilgariff describes her.
Part of her charm is that Sister Mary Edith has been close to her Irish heritage all her life. The first daughter in her Irish American family to be born in San Francisco, she began as a young girl to learn Irish step dancing and in her senior years added her membership in the Rebel Cork Ladies Association as well as in the Ladies Auxiliary of Hibernians.
After attending St. Peter School in San Francisco, she received her Bachelor of Arts in education at Holy Names College.
Sister Mary Edith taught in elementary schools in the Bay Area and Southern California. The local schools are Holy Name, St. Gabriel, St. Stephen, St. Peter, St. Catherine of Siena, Our Lady of Angels, St. Bartholomew, and St. Anthony.
A diminutive figure, she taught her classes using an elevated chair to keep a good view of the kids. She was famous for fearlessly leading field trips for her 50 student classes.
After 44 years of teaching, always ready for something new, Sister Mary Edith took a sabbatical in Sydney, Australia. She fell in love with the country and the Sisters of Mercy community there. She stayed for four years (from 1985-1989). She worked as the secretary and treasurer of Marymount Mercy Centre, a spiritual center run by the Sisters of Mercy.
She became a member of the Marymount team. “I remember her warmth, enthusiasm, efficiency and willingness to be of assistance. She had great organizational skills,” said her friend Mercy Sister Margaret Jones of Marymount.
“I loved the spirit of it all and the people there,” Sister Mary Edith said looking back. “Those were some of my best moments.”
Always eager to gather family and friends, Sister Edith originated the Hurley Ladies Golf tournament that began as miniature golf. All contestants are Hurleys or married to a Hurley.
“Edith’s energetic personality is one of kindness, happiness, Irish wit, and acceptance, and she maintains a strong desire to be fully alive each day - even at 100,” said Sister Mary Kilgariff. In her 90s another of her favorite activities has been riding in the Rebel Cork Ladies float at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Disappointed that COVID19 has prevented a gathering for her 100th, she is praying for that safe time when she can join her family and friends for outings and celebrations.
Sister Mary Edith returned to San Francisco and Holy Name of Jesus School in 1990 where she taught computer science, which she considered “icing on the cake,” until retiring in 2000. She continued to volunteer at the school until 2005. She is now retired at Marian Oaks Life Care Center in Burlingame.
Marian Oaks Life Care Center is closed to visitors in accordance with COVID-19 protocols.