Bonnie Brinker was born in Owensville, Missouri, on Oct. 11, 1931, the first of seven children of Raymond and Jeannetta (Myers) Brinker. After graduating from St. Elizabeth Academy, Bonnie entered the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood’s novitiate on July 25, 1950. She professed her first vows on Aug. 10, 1952, receiving the name Sister Mary Renée.

Sister Renée completed a bachelor’s degree in history at Saint Louis University and a master’s degree in history at the University of Missouri.

As a teacher and principal, Sister Renée was both creative and exacting, demanding the best of students and teachers. She shared her love of learning in North and South America, Europe and Asia. In Missouri, she taught at Sacred Heart School in Columbia, St. Henry School in Charleston, Our Lady of Fatima School in Florissant, and St. George School and St. John School in St. Louis. In Illinois, she taught at St. Peter School in Quincy.

In 1966, Sister Renée joined the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood’s mission in Finland, and except for intermittent returns to the U.S. and time spent in China and in Peru, she remained in Helsinki until 2019 when she returned to O’Fallon. In Helsinki, she served both as a teacher of history and as principal of The English School. She also served at the British Council Library and taught at Helsinki Business College, at the Swedish-speaking Workers’ College, at Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu and at Kalliolan Kansalaisopisto Adult Education Center. In 1996, she taught English at Shanghai University, and in 1999 she spent time teaching English to her order’s novices in Peru.

Sister Renée was preceded in death by her parents and by her brothers-in-law, Edward Heumann and Laurence Hitz. She is survived by her sisters, Billie Heumann, Charlene Hitz, Ardith (Roger) Larson and Linda (Thomas) Donze; by her brothers, Raymond (Shirley) and Edward (Judy) Brinker; and by nieces and nephews of several generations.

Burial was in the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood convent cemetery.