Sister Alfreda Crantz celebrated her 100th birthday Jan. 2. In honor of this momentous occasion, Mary & Elizabeth Hospital hosted a surprise birthday party to show our gratitude for her years of service to those less fortunate and her tireless commitment to healing.
Sister Alfreda was born in Michigan in 1920, and trained in Chicago to be a nurse before joining the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in 1950. She completed more than 15 mission trips both locally and abroad, including a post as chief nurse in Saigon during the Vietnam War.
After returning to the United States in the early 1970s, Sister Alfreda accepted her first position at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, working in the emergency room. After subsequent assignments in Missouri, Nepal, and Honduras, Sister Alfreda returned to Louisville where she continued her work with Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, ministering in community services and visiting all Sister hospital patients. She has remained active in the facility ever since, and still volunteers in the chapel as sacristan, and in the gift shop.
Mary & Elizabeth Hospital is truly blessed to help Sister Alfreda celebrate her remarkable life.