May 2, 1924 – March 3, 2019

Sister Wilma Wittman (Mother Mary Basil), OSU, died peacefully March 4, 2019, at St. Andrew’s at Francis Place in Eureka, Missouri.

The daughter of John Sigmund Wittman and Marie Augusta Myers Wittman, she was born May 2, 1924, in Alton, Illinois, where she graduated from Marquette High School. She entered the Ursuline Sisters in Crystal City, Missouri, in 1942 and made her vows in 1945. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the College of New Rochelle in New York and a master’s degree in education at St. Louis University.

Sister Wilma’s long and colorful teaching career found her serving in Decatur and Alton, Illinois, and Galveston, Texas. She served as principal in both Decatur and Alton. She also served as prioress of the Decatur Ursuline Community. She retired from Marquette High School in Alton in June 1996 after nearly 50 years of ministry in Catholic Schools. She was known for her beautiful photography and her love of nature.