Sister Marianna Kosior, founder and former president of Hospital Sisters Health System, died Dec. 11 at age 99, according to a news release from the Springfield, Ill.-based health system.
Sister Marianna spent decades as a member of Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, an international congregation of Franciscan Sisters with an American Province based in Springfield.
In the 1970s, she had a vision of a health system that would become Hospital Sisters Health System.
The health system said she established a holding company with a parent corporation and subsidiary corporations, and on Dec. 26, 1978, the health system was incorporated.
Sister Marianna was named president of the health system in August 1979 and served in that role until her retirement in October 1989.
Sister Jomary Trstensky, chair of the Hospital Sisters Ministries and former president of the Hospital Sisters Health System, said in the health system's news release that in the early 1970s, "Sister Marianna found herself responsible for 12 Catholic hospitals at a time of considerable flux in sponsorship and organizational arrangements within Catholic healthcare."
"She led the way with her creative vision and unwavering belief that the future of Catholic healthcare would be built on strong systems and lay leaders. With no blueprint, she established Hospital Sisters Health System and entrusted others to give life to her vision," Sister Jomary said.
Today, Hospital Sisters Health System serves 14 communities in Illinois and Wisconsin with 15 hospitals, health centers and clinics, physician partners, and colleagues.