Sister Jeanne Drea, OP, died April 28, 2026, at St. Dominic Villa, Hazel Green, Wis. Her Funeral Mass will take place Monday, May 4 at 10 a.m. at the Villa followed by burial in St. Clara Cemetery, Sinsinawa, Wis. Casey-McNett Funeral Home is handling arrangements.   

Sister Jeanne was born May 12, 1943, to Harold and Helen (Connors) Drea in Richland Center, Wis. She professed vows with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in 1972. She earned a BS in upper elementary education from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; a certificate in theology from St. Norbert College, Green Bay, Wis.; and an MPS in pastoral studies from Loyola University of Chicago.    

Her ministry was dedicated to teaching and social services. She taught at St. James School, Rockford, Ill.; and St. Thomas Aquinas School, Milwaukee, Wis., where she also served in the parish as pastoral associate. Sister Jeanne was support staff at St. Jude Parish and the Cenacle Spiritual Life Center, Boca Raton, Fla. She then worked at Catholic Charities in West Palm Beach, Fla. She served the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation as co-coordinator of the Associate program. In Apalachicola and Franklin County, Fla., she ministered at Franklin’s Promise Coalition and at St. Patrick Church in parish outreach and at the food pantry. She helped launch a program called Bridges to Circles that focused on moving families permanently out of poverty in the Apalachicola area. Sister Jeanne joined the St. Elizabeth Manor community in Footville, Wis., in 2021. She moved to St. Dominic Villa in 2025 and filled the days with love and humor.     

Sister Jeanne was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Andrea Kruk. She is survived by her brother, Harry Drea, and his wife, Sally, and her Dominican Sisters. Memorials may be made to the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, 585 Cty. Rd. Z, Sinsinawa, Wis., or given online at www.sinsinawa.org/donate.