Mary Margaret Reid, SCN, 92, died on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Louisville, Kentucky. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 71 years. As a teacher, principal, librarian, and sacristan, she served with a practical spirit, a sense of humor and an appreciation for the people she met along the way.
Born on Nov. 20, 1933, in New Hope, Kentucky, she was one of eight children of James Alexander and Eva Head Reid. She grew up working in her father’s general store, where she learned from her parents about working with people and the responsibilities of daily life. She attended elementary school in New Hope and high school at Bethlehem Academy in Bardstown.
Sister Mary Margaret entered the Congregation on Sept. 24, 1952, alongside her longtime schoolmate, Sister Martha Clan. When relatives warned that novitiate would bring lean years of brown bread, she took the prospect in stride. She liked brown bread.
Formerly known as Sister Marie Charles, she made first vows on March 25, 1955, and perpetual vows on July 19, 1958. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Nazareth College in 1965 and a master’s degree in elementary education from Spalding College in 1971.
Her education ministry began in 1955 and took her to classrooms in Kentucky and Massachusetts. She taught at Most Blessed Sacrament, St. Matthias, St. Barnabas and Pope John & Paul schools in Louisville; La Salette Academy in Covington; St. Monica School in Bardstown; and St. Ann School in Wollaston, Massachusetts.
She enjoyed teaching different grades and meeting the challenges that came with changes in education. Her six years in Wollaston also gave her something she especially loved: time near the ocean.
Sister Mary Margaret later served as assistant principal at St. Lawrence School and, from 1979 to 1982, as principal at St. Vincent de Paul School in Louisville. She then ministered as librarian at St. Gabriel School in Fern Creek and as the parish’s director of religious education.
At St. Gabriel, she and Sister Ethel Durbin offered to move from the convent into an apartment, making room for a kindergarten and library. It was a practical response to a growing school’s needs.
In 1988, she returned to Nazareth, where her ministries included clerical work at the SCN Center, transportation, hospitality and service as a sacristan. She later served as assistant director of the Media Center from 2007 to 2017 and director from 2017 to 2021.
Driving was both a pleasure and a ministry. While seeking her license, she told God, “if you let me get my license I will help the Sisters that need to be driven.” She kept that promise through years of transportation service.
Her stories often found humor in unexpected situations. Once, a mechanic raised her car on a service lift before she could get out. Rather than panic, she stayed in the car and worked on classroom assignments and students’ papers until she was lowered back to the ground.
She loved travel and the chance to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Her adventures included Japan and a volunteer trip to Belize, where she helped salvage nails from used lumber for a building project.
Sister Mary Margaret continued learning through retreats, Scripture studies and programs on Vincentian spirituality. Her later service as a volunteer and sacristan continued a life spent attending to the everyday needs of others.
She was a welcoming and dutiful presence at Nazareth, often seen tending to the church, and other various tasks around campus. She loved to walk the grounds and was known for her welcoming smile and quick wit. She cherished the opportunity to connect with others and during public events, she could be found mingling with students and families visiting Nazareth.
Sister Mary Margaret Reid was preceded in death by her parents and siblings. She is survived by her special nephew, Gerald Anthony Reid, her extended family, and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
Funeral arrangements are as follows:
- The Wake will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in St. Vincent de Paul Church.
- The Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the church, with burial to follow in the Nazareth Cemetery.
- Services will be streamed at nazareth.org/live.
Memorials may be made to the Office of Mission Advancement, P.O. Box 9, Nazareth, KY 40048.