Sister M. Concepta (Margaret) Petresky, 92, a member of the Daughters of Divine Charity and a teacher who was known for her keen sense of humor and her exquisite needlepoint embroidery, died on April 15, 2011 in St. Joseph Hill Convent, Arrochar.
Born in Freemansburg, Pa., to parents who emigrated from Hungary, Sister Concepta came to St. Joseph Hill Convent in 1934 and professed her first vows in 1940.
Sister Concepta taught at St. Joseph Hill Academy and a number of elementary and junior high schools in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Indiana staffed by the Daughters of Divine Charity.
She was known to her students for her sharp wit and creativity.
“She had a great sense of humor,” said Sister Denise Martin, superior at St. Joseph Hill Convent. “Anything you said, she had a joke for it, even until the end.”
In 1978, Sister Concepta transferred to Villa Madonna in Hackettstown, N.J., where she was of help to the elderly and infirm sisters there because she loved to drive, taking them to outside appointments and helping them do their shopping and errands.
Her sense of humor endeared her to local merchants, who were generous with food and gifts to the convent and for fundraisers there.
Her needlework talent can also be seen in framed works of cross-stitch embroidery, including the motto and emblem of the Daughters of Divine Charity at the entrance to St. Joseph Hill Convent.
Sister Concepta is survived by many nieces and nephews.