Mary Ellen Kenny "Sister Bernie"

Sister Bernadette (Bernie) Kenny December 8, 1938 – December 7, 2024 Sister Bernie was born in Boston, MA and baptized Mary Ellen. Her early schooling was in Somerville MA, coincidently where MMM came to live later. After leaving school she worked as a dental assistant for a short period before joining MMM in Winchester MA. After her initial religious formation period, she went to Ireland to study Nursing. When she graduated, she won the top grade in the whole of Ireland! But she did not stay in Ireland long. Once her training as a nurse and midwife were completed, she travelled to Tanzania. Her first mission was in Dareda Hospital. After a short break to upgrade her nursing to degree level in Boston, she was then assigned to Ethiopia. There she worked in Gambo. By 1977, Sr. Bernie was back in the USA. After helping in Vocation Promotion work for a year, she found her life’s work when she moved to Appalachia and Virginia in 1978. MMM came to the Appalachian Mountains at the request of the Richmond Catholic Diocese. Sister Bernie started the program when she began dispensing health care and a kind touch out of her Volkswagen Beetle. In 1980, the Health Wagon was founded by Sr. Bernie Kenny. St. Mary’s Hospital, Norton, VA provided a valuable partnership and sponsored the program for over twenty-five years. In 1983, Sr. Bernie upgraded her skills at the Medical College of Virgina becoming a registered Family Nurse Practitioner. Although Sr. Bernie turned over the leadership of the Health Wagon in December 2005 her heart and her life remained firmly embedded in Appalachia until she died. Sister Bernie also initiated the invitation to the Remote Area Medical project (RAM) coming to the region, an annual three-day open air medical clinic drawing people from the surrounding counties. Sister Bernie continued to use her knowledge of the area, her friendships, and her skills as nurse-practitioner and massage therapist to open up spaces for healing to take place among the Appalachian people. Sister Bernie said, “It’s not about pills. In most health care the emotional part is ignored. Health care is social; it’s a way of identifying what’s inside a person.” Sr. Bernie also co-authored a book, Better for Being with You, with Tauna Gulley, a nursing instructor for the University of Virginia in Wise VA, that explores the concept of care and caring among residents in central Appalachia. In early December, Sr. Bernie became seriously ill and was moved to Pikeville, KY for medical care. She died there peacefully on December 7 th , just hours before her 86 th birthday. She is predeceased by her parents and siblings, Tom, Bill and Ann. She is survived by her sister, Ellen Mahairas. A viewing will be held at Mullin’s Funeral Home Chapel, Clintwood, VA on Wednesday December 11, 2024 from 3 pm to 6 pm. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Church, Clintwood, VA on Thursday December 12 at 11:00 am with Father Thomas Kenny S.J followed by a reception at the Clintwood Community Center. There will be a further celebration of her life in Somerville MA later with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Medical Missionaries of Mary, 179 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143 https://mmmworldwide.org/donate/ or The Sister Bernie Kenny Scholarship UVA-Wise Foundation, 1 College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293 www.giving.virginia.edu/wise.

Mary Ellen Kenny "Sister Bernie"

December 8, 1938 - December 7, 2024