Elizabeth Jean Ostertag was born December 11, 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky. There were 6 children born to Charles and Nellie Gray Ostertag; two boys and four girls. Elizabeth was the second oldest. She attended St. Boniface church and school, the same parish her family had attended for many generations.

Before entering the monastery, she did secretarial and clerical work for an insurance firm and in the office of The American Tobacco Co. Elizabeth also had a great love for classical music, the symphony and the opera. She frequently spent weekends driving to Cincinnati, Ohio with a friend to attend the opera there.

Elizabeth was very active in her parish choir and was a member of the Archdiocesan Choral Club, which gave four large concerts a year. She also took part in many archdiocesan celebrations and activities sponsored by the choral club.

After leaving work she would frequently make a holy hour from 5—6pm at the Cathedral. It was there she learned about the Benedictine Sisters at Clyde from a prayer leaflet she found in the pew.

“I was seeking a contemplative life and I had a great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. This holy hour that I tried to make almost daily, was before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. ”

Elizabeth entered on April 22, 1949 and was invested as a novice on February 16, 1950. On her profession day, May 20, 1951, she was given the name Sr. Mary Stephen. She changed her name to Jean Cecile in 1971. Her Perpetual Vows took place on May 27, 1956.

Over the years she lived in Clyde, Mundelein, Tucson and Kansas City. Her works included printery typesetting, making collariums, altar bread dept, bookkeeping, portress, kitchen, and sacristan.

She had a great love of the water and enjoyed swimming very much. She also loved to hike through the woods.

True to her Louisville roots, she always watched the Kentucky Derby every year on television. When she lived in Kansas City it was often a whole community celebration complete with mint juleps.

Another thing she was noted for was having a beautiful soprano voice. She was always happy to sing in schola or take her turn at chanting duties.

Consecration of Virgins was celebrated in June of 1971; her Silver Jubilee was celebrated in 1976 and her Golden Jubilee in 2001 at Clyde.

In her later years Jean suffered from dementia. She began to fail in mid-August and then died very peacefully in the early morning hours of August 24, 2009. Our sisters, Ginny, Sean and Pat as well as her two brothers, Charlie and John, and nephew Gary were with her when she died.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on August 25. Fr. Kenneth from Conception Abbey was the celebrant.