May 31, 1932 – June 9, 2023
Sr. M. Gerlinda Frank was born on May 31, 1932 in Tauernfeld, parish of Deining / Diocese of Eichstätt. She was the second youngest child of her parents, Josef Frank and Margarete Frank née Meier, who were farmers.
On June 1, 1932, she was baptized with the name Barbara in the Filialkirche Tauernfeld.
She grew up with 10 siblings and attended elementary school in Tauernfeld from 1938 to 1945 and then vocational school.
On October 14, 1948, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother in Abenberg, where her two sisters, Sr. Ildefonsa and Sr. Theresa, had already joined. One sister was with the Sisters of Mercy of St. Vincent de Paul in Munich.
Sr. M. Gerlinda attended the kindergarten seminary in Abenberg, which she successfully completed with the examination. On August 12, 1951, she was invested and after two years of religious formation, she made her First Holy Profession on August 12, 1953, and after much reflection, her Perpetual Profession on August 12, 1958.
From 1953 to 1964, Sr. Gerlinda worked as a kindergarten teacher in Denkendorf. In 1964, she was transferred to Schwabach, where she worked for 18 years in the kindergarten in the Alexanderstraße. In 1982, she was entrusted with the kindergarten in Burgoberbach.
In 1997, she came to Abenberg to the newly built Schwesternwohnheim. Sr. Gerlinda, Sr. Fortunata and Sr. Agnes were the first residents of this home. Sr. Gerlinda Frank was appointed as the first local leader and filled the new home of the sisters with life and love.
Sr. M. Gerlinda was very attentive and gave much joy to the sisters with small homemade gifts. With exemplary faithfulness, she took over the entrance service in the sisters’ home and took care of the flowers in the entrance. She was very helpful and often had sisters sitting at the entrance to look after them.
In her last months, after a hospitalization, her strength decreased more and more.
On June 9, 2023, God, the Lord, took her home to His kingdom. She was accompanied to her eternal home by Sr. Fortunata Zeller, Sr. Monika Galster and employee Yvonne Schnabel.
We thank our sisters, the staff of the ambulatory care service, and our own nursing staff for their caring and good care.
On June 13, 2023, Sr. M. Gerlinda Frank was buried in the Sisters’ Cemetery in Abenberg. Afterwards we celebrated the Requiem in the Stilla Church. The nieces and nephews and friends from Denkendorf were also present for the farewell.
R.I.P .
Submitted by Sr. Beate Nieberler