DUBUQUE, Iowa — A funeral Mass was celebrated on Wednesday, Aug. 14, in Marian Hall Chapel here for Sister Betty (William Mary) Cover, BVM, who served at Alleman High School in Rock Island for 28 years.

Burial was to follow in Mount Carmel Cemetery.

Sister Betty, 86, died on Aug. 8, 2013, at Marian Hall in Dubuque.

Born on July 7, 1927, Sister Betty was the daughter of Aaron and Mary Carlyn (Devaney) Cover. She entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary from St. Martin Parish in Cascade, Iowa, on March 8, 1957, and professed first vows on Feb. 3, 1959, and final vows on July 16, 1964.

A secondary educator in Davenport, Iowa, and Seattle, Wash., Sister Betty also served at Alleman High School in Rock Island from 1968 to 1974 and from 1977 to 1999.

“She was a fantastic English teacher, phenomenal,” recalled Father Daniel Mirabelli, CSV, director of development at Alleman. Noting that Sister Betty chaired the English department for several years, he added, “When she retired it was a big loss for us.”

In retirement, she ministered in pastoral care by volunteering at a nursing home in Moline for nine years.

Preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Sister Betty is survived by two sisters, two sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 56 years.

Memorials may be mailed to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Support Fund, 1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, Iowa 52003, or made online by visiting bvmcong.org/whatsnew_obits.cfm.