Sister Virginia (Mary Francella) Gillis, RSM
in San Diego on March 9, 2012, at the age of 78.
Born in Los Angeles, Sister Virginia was the youngest of the four children of Francis and Mary Gillis. Growing up with three older brothers, early on she developed the independent spirit that informed her life. After graduating from Bishop Conaty High School and attending college for a year, Virginia entered the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame, Ca, in 1952, professing her vows as Sister Mary Francella in 1955.