On her 101st birthday last July, Sister Mary Brendan was asked to share her secrets for living a long life. She responded, “Pray and keep in contact with young people.”

After entering the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood’s novitiate in 1937 and professing first vows in 1939, she received a bachelor’s degree in English and religion from Quincy College.

Sister Mary Brendan taught primary grades for 55 years. Fifty-two of these years were spent at Missouri schools: Immaculate Conception in Dardenne Prairie, the public school in Millwood, St. Anthony of Padua in Folk, St. Joseph in Josephville, St. Clement of Rome in St. Louis, Sts. Phillip and James in River aux Vases, Our Lady Help of Christians in Weingarten, St. Joseph in Rhineland, Holy Rosary in Warrenton, All Saints in St. Peters, Sacred Heart in Ozora, St. John the Baptist in Gildehaus, Assumption in New Haven, and St. Paul in St. Paul. She also taught in Nebraska and Tennessee.

After retiring from the classroom, she did crafts, needlework and volunteer tasks in O’Fallon. Since 2012, she lived at Abbey Senior Health.

Survivors include two brothers, Vincent and Raymond. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a private burial ceremony was planned and a memorial Mass will be celebrated later.