Sr. Dolores Schuh

Sister Dolores Schuh, CHM, 93, died July 27, 2026, at Kahl Home, Davenport, Iowa. Services will be held at the Humility of Mary Center, 820 W. Central Park Avenue, Davenport. Visitation on Wednesday, July 29, will begin with a Rosary at 2 p.m. and conclude with a Vigil service at 4 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 30 at the Humility of Mary Center, followed by interment at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Davenport. Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home is assisting the community with arrangements.

Dolores Rose Schuh was born September 23, 1932, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and was raised by Urban and Rose (Kraft) Schuh in Lewistown, Montana. She entered the Congregation of the Humility of Mary in 1954 and made her first profession in 1957, taking the name Sister Mary Joan of Arc.

She studied Social Science at the College of Great Falls in Great Falls, Montana, Ottumwa Heights College in Ottumwa, Iowa, the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in 1958 with minors in English and Education. Beginning in 1964, she pursued graduate studies in Sociology at the University of Iowa and completed summer courses in the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She also attended workshops and seminars on topics ranging from economics to community theatre.

Before entering the CHM Community, Sister Dolores served as a caseworker for the Montana State Department of Welfare. Her first teaching assignment was at the airbase that temporarily housed Ottumwa Heights Academy in 1958. She taught Social Science there and at Walsh High School until 1963, when she joined the faculty of Ottumwa Heights College. In 1967, she became director of admissions. From 1969 to 1971, she served at the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research (IECR) at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, then returned to Ottumwa Heights to work in institutional research and admissions. In 1974, she returned to the IECR, serving as secretary and administrator until 1986 and as executive associate until her retirement in 2004. In retirement, she volunteered at Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat in Wheatland, Iowa, served as an editorial assistant for Abbey Banner, worked as a copy editor for Liturgical Press, and volunteered in prison ministry.

Sister Dolores was an avid writer, publishing columns in secular and religious newspapers and contributing more than 170 reflections for Liturgical Press’s Sunday Bulletins, reaching more than 120,000 readers across the United States and Canada. She was also a devoted Minnesota Twins fan long before their first World Series championship in 1987. After cancer surgery, the chair of the IECR board arranged for the team to sign a baseball for her, a treasured keepsake she proudly displayed.

In 1998, Sister Dolores received the Outstanding Administrator Award from Saint John’s University. In 2004, the IECR honored her with a celebratory dinner and tribute recognizing her hard work, pastoral care, and “world-class chocolate chip cookies.” Board director and former Bishop James Shannon described her as “a gifted practitioner in the art of building community.” She was also a member of the American Sociological Association, the Iowa Sociological Society, and other professional organizations.

Sister Dolores was preceded in death by her adoptive parents; her biological parents, Russell Thompson and Ellen Salzer Lyons; her sister, Helen McDonnell; and infant brothers, Mark and Robert. She is survived by her sister, Jane Dinsmore; brother, Tim Lyons; and the Sisters and Associates of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary. Memorials to the Congregation of the Humility of Mary.

Online condolences may be expressed by visiting Sr. Dolores’ obituary at www.hmdfuneralhome.com