Sr. Waldia Warden dies at 80

    Dominican Sister of Peace Waldia Ann (Mary Assumpta) Warden, who served as president of both Dominican College and St. Mary’s Dominican High School, died Aug. 18 in Columbus, Ohio.
    She was 80 years old and had served for 60 years in religious life.
    Sister Waldia entered the novitiate of the former Dominican Sisters of St. Mary in New Orleans in 1953 and made her profession of vows in 1954.
    Sister Waldia served on the General Council of the St. Mary New Orleans congregation for four terms (1976-84, 1996-2004); as president of St. Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans (1983-85); and as president of St. Mary’s Dominican High School (1990-94).
    She served at parochial elementary schools in Louisiana (1954-62); as a professor at St. Mary’s Dominican College (1964-1979); in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of New Orleans (1989-2005); and as director at Rosaryville Spirit Life Center in Ponchatoula, La. (1979-81,2005-08).
    A funeral Mass was celebrated at the Columbus Motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. She was buried at the Dominican Sisters’ cemetery at Rosaryville, Ponchatoula.
     She is survived by a sister and brother-in-law, Phyllis and Milton Retif; nieces Danielle Barbara and Lisa James; nephew Kenneth Retif; and grandnieces and grandnephews.