Sr. Lucille Marie Dean, SP, a longtime educator and a board member for Providence Health & Services who helped oversee its merger with St. Joseph Health into Providence St. Joseph Health, died Feb. 18 at St. Joseph Residence, a home for women religious in Seattle. She was 86.
Sr. Dean
Sr. Dean spent many of her 67 years as a Sister of Providence teaching in Catholic schools and in school administration, starting in Yakima, Washington, in 1957. She also served at schools in Burbank, California, and Anchorage, Alaska. In 2015-2016, Sr. Dean served as the interim president of University of Great Falls in Montana, her alma mater. The school is now known as the University of Providence.
She held many leadership positions with her order. In the 1980s, she was provincial superior of Sacred Heart Province that encompasses western Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska.
Sr. Dean took a leadership role in Providence Health & Services, the health system founded by the Sisters of Providence. She was a member of the system's board for many years and served as chair for two. During her time on the board, the system added Swedish Health Services, Kadlec Regional Medical Center and Pacific Medical Centers as secular partners.
In 2016, when Providence Health & Services merged with St. Joseph Health to form Providence St. Joseph Health, Sr. Dean was appointed a trustee for the new system. Providence St. Joseph Health is one of the largest health systems in the nation.
In 2018, Sr. Dean was a nominee for CHA's Lifetime Achievement Award for her service to the Catholic health ministry. "The consummate leader, Sister Lucille has helped her organization confidently manage change and embrace new partnerships that strengthened her health system and ultimately Catholic health care," the nomination noted.
A vigil for Sr. Dean was set for March 11 in Seattle, her funeral Mass was to be there March 12. Memorial services are planned March 29 in Great Falls and April 10 in Burbank.