Born and raised Rosalie Elizabeth Bartus in Roebling, N.J., she entered the religious order in 1942, took her first vow in 1944, and final vows in 1951.
Sister Raimonde earned an associate degree in business from Rider University in New Jersey, and a bachelor’s summa cum laude in education, and a master’s and Ph.D. in history, from Fordham University.
Assigned to education ministry in Connecticut, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York, she served on the faculty of St. Joseph Hill Academy High School from 1956 to 1984, and chaired the social studies department.
She worked as an archivist for her religious order from 1984 to 1985 in Vienna, Austria, and taught at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn from 1985 to 1986.
Sister Raimonde returned to St. Joseph Hill in 1986, teaching history, sociology, and speech, until her retirement three years ago. She was moderator and producer-director for the school’s drama club for 25 years, and forensic coach for two decades. She also initiated the Advanced Placement program at Hill, and was instrumental in developing the St. John’s University Extension Program at the school.
Her long career included posts as adjunct professor at Seton Hall University, from 1968 to 1971, and lecturer at Wagner College from 1969 to 1973. She also served part-time in the Office of the Archdiocesan Superintendent, and the Office of the Secretary of Education for the Archdiocese of New York, and was liaison for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese for the Bicentennial Scholars.
Sister Raimonde “had a great love for our Order, and was devoted to the charism of our foundress, Mother Franziska Lechner,” said Sister Denise Martin, the superior at St. Joseph Hill convent.
“She was a brilliant woman who could answer any questions you could ask her,” added Sister Josita DiVita, a friend for almost 60 years. “She was a delight to be with, and a very good friend.”
“Most of all, she really loved God,” said Mary Jane Truckenbrodt, a colleague at St. Joseph Hill since 1974. “She was a very honest person, and anything she said, you knew was true. She was a professional historian, very accurate and precise, and always saw things from an historical point of view.
“She would get things out of her students that they never knew they had,” she added. “She coached Stephanie Seminara, who was the first girl to win the National Forensic League and Catholic Forensic League championships in competition with boys.”
Sister Raimonde was an avid reader, favoring mysteries and historical literature, and enjoyed crossword puzzles, including the challenge of those in the New York Times Sunday magazine. She also traveled to the Light Opera of Manhattan every Friday evening, where she served as an usher, colleagues said.
She was cited as Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the National Catholic Educational Association, and was inducted into the National Forensic League and New York Catholic Forensic League halls of fame. She received the Patrick Daly Award from the then borough president Guy Molinari for her work as an educator.