Sister Ramona Oppenheim, MM
Born: April 28, 1929
Entered: February 1, 1951
Died: December 3, 2025
Sister Ramona Oppenheim, M.M. seemed to have an appointment with God, that she followed an inner clock right up until the evening of her death on December 3, 2025.
On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, Ramona showed a significant change, and her Maryknoll sister-friends stayed with her at her bedside until she very quickly moved into another realm at 7:44 PM.
Ramona Marie Oppenheim was born on April 28, 1929, in Lima, Ohio and raised in Coldwater, OH. She was the fifth child in a family of 3 boys and 4 girls. Her parents, Theodore Henry Oppenheim, a consulting engineer, and Anna Elizabeth Mathias, provided a firm and loving home for this family. Ultimately, most of her siblings married; one became a Jesuit and Ramona remained the last living representative of the family; Ramona is survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and in-laws.
Ramona was baptized in Holy Trinity Parish, in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and attended its grade school until graduation in 1942. She graduated from Coldwater Public School in 1946. That same year, she began college life, boarding at St. Mary’s College, Indiana. These four years show a very full curriculum with a heavy emphasis on history and social sciences, and this interest seems to have carried her along in the post Vatican II world which influenced most religious congregations.
During the summer of 1948, Ramona and one of her sisters traveled to New York to see Maryknoll. During an interview with Sr. Mary Paul McKenna, she explained that her primary interest in religious life may have been inspired by a sister-teacher in grade two. Much later, the life of St. Therese of Lisieux impressed her. Finally, what helped her focus on missionary religious life was the regular arrival of Maryknoll’s Field Afar magazine to their home.
Ramona completed her BA in history at St. Mary’s College in 1950 and was ready to join Maryknoll at Valley Park novitiate on February 1, 1951. At reception, she received the name Sister Ramona Therese. After completing her novitiate, she was accepted for her first Profession of Vows at the Center in 1954. It was here that she also completed a B.S. in Education at Mary Rogers College.
The year 1955 marked her first overseas venture: Mission in the Philippines. For the next ten years, she was involved with Education at the high school and college levels in Quezon City and Lucena City. In 1965, for her first Decennial period back in the USA, she combined plans to visit family with courses which would help her in ministry. For this, she looked ahead to welcome newer developments in missions.
Ramona returned to the Philippines after her decennial break in 1965. She was given a new assignment, teaching at Maryknoll High School on the campus of Maryknoll College in Quezon City. She also served as the local superior. In 1970, she received her MA in History from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Ramona served in the Philippines from 1955-1972.
In 1972-1975, she worked at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, NY in the admissions office.
Ramona was in Mexico-Guatemala region from 1976-2004, with stints at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, NY in 1985-1988 as a member of the Mission Institute Coordinating team and assisting the Physical Plant on the Blueprint Project on October 2004 to October 2005.
Mexico-Guatemala provided her the opportunity to move out of the formal education process into more interactive ministries. She needed her Spanish, and as many indigenous phrases as possible.
In 2005-2010, she was a member of the Western US Region. Perhaps the most satisfying and challenging ministry for Ramona was the California period. The town of San Ysidro presented immigration issues, detention centers, clinic visiting and collaboration with the Maryknoll Society, lay missioners and affiliates. She shared living quarters with the Tacoma Dominican Sisters.
In 2010, Ramona became ill and returned to the Center, joining the Rogers community until 2018 when she moved to the Eden Community. With each new posting, Ramona found opportunities involving interaction, including groups and gathering among the community members at Maryknoll.
I have known Ramona since our Quezon City and Guatemala days. What I have come to recognize –
- Fidelity to her religious calling
- A principled, loyal, fun-loving person
- …with high expectations of students
- …with a bit of intransigence if she sensed that principle was not being followed (and we teased her for this!)
- I think she has allowed herself to be changed by the cry of the poor.
We welcome our presider today, Maryknoll Father Dave La Buda, in our celebration of Ramona’s life.