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The two families of Sister Mary Joseph -- the Mormon one by birth and the Catholic by adoption -- said farewell on Saturday at the Carmelite monastery where she lived for more than 40 years.
Sister Mary Joseph, the spark plug behind the annual Carmelite Fair that drew thousands to Holladay each fall, died Tuesday at the age of 77 from complications of diabetes.
Named Barbara Whipperman at birth, she was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She became a public health nurse, found her way to the Catholic Church, and ultimately into a religious vocation as a young woman.
Her two brothers, Con Whipperman of Salt Lake City and Don Whipperman of St. George, sat in the front pew with their wives. Nieces, nephews and their children filled several pews and a row of folding chairs in front.
Among the estimated 200 attending the funeral was Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, a Catholic who had met Mary Joseph at the fair, which she presided over in recent years from a motorized wheelchair.
Don Whipperman, seven years older than his sister, said he and others in the family always called her Barbara, not Mary Joseph. "After 77 years, it would be hard to change."
The Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a cloistered community centered on prayer. Her eight sisters participated in her funeral mass from a side room separated by a screen.
The sociable Mary Joseph, who took the name on entering the monastery, was the "extern" sister, living in an adjacent apartment, greeting visitors and handling business affairs.
Her sisters did not go to the Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery for the burial, but friends pressed their hands and shared condolences through an open window into their chapel after the funeral.
The Rev. Martin Diaz told family and friends at the graveside to be on the lookout for special blessings that she may secure for them from heaven.
"She can pray now for exactly what we need," he said -- including a replacement as the public face of the Carmelite nuns. "Can you imagine being the one who took her place?" he asked, laughing.
Monsignor Bill Bonczewski, the main celebrant who was joined by seven other priests at the funeral, said those who attended her death, including her sisters, witnessed something remarkable: the distinct smell of roses, a signature of St. Therese of Lisieux, to whom Mary Joseph was devoted.
Her death was "such a blessing to witness," said Bonczewski, who has his own devotion to the saint also known as Little Flower. "The escort came," he said.
The Frenchwoman was a Carmelite nun who died at age 24 in 1897 and was canonized a saint 28 years later. Eventually declared a "doctor," or great teacher, of the church, St. Therese said life is not about doing great things, but small things with great love.
In an interview last fall, Mary Joseph said St. Therese inspired her to be less crabby. "I'm not always nice. I recognize that."
Her brother, Con, said it's true. "I can remember when she was a real brat."
He recalled coming home from the Navy to find his little sister, then about 13, tossing out her Mormon parents' coffee in a sanctimonious fit.
"I told her she couldn't do that. 'It's their house, not yours,' I said." Con threatened to spank her and she told him he wasn't man enough. "I turned up her dress and whelped her real good," he said Saturday.
Her brothers' children and grandchildren often stopped by the monastery to see Mary Joseph, sometimes while riding bikes. The Whippermans would often attend the fair, which supplies about 80 percent of the monastery's income.
And at Christmas time, the entire Whipperman family -- dozens of them -- would squeeze into Mary Joseph's apartment for a family party.
Though her conversion was difficult at first, especially for her devoutly LDS mother, "Finally we just dropped it," said Ruth Whipperman, Don's wife.
"We recognized she was an outstanding individual and we respected her for that," said Don.
Her niece, Pat Taggart of Bluffdale, said she swapped emails with her Aunt Barbara almost everyday. They got a big kick out of their shared disdain for President Obama; Mary Joseph opposed his stand on abortion, among other issues.
Mary Joseph had friends from many faiths, including the LDS who lived in her neighborhood.
"She was always asking me if I was Catholic yet," said Jeff Buhlman of Grantsville, whose wife, Dawn, was is Catholic and was close to Mary Joseph.
The Buhlmans helped with the fair and mowed the monastery lawn for a couple years.
Rob Messer, one of the pallbearers, said he met Sister Mary Joseph when he took his young daughters to the fair nearly 20 years ago.
They became close friends -- so close that Messer, a Methodist and a car dealer, spent three years dropping by her apartment morning and night to take her injured dog out to use the bathroom.
The dog had broken a hip and Mary Joseph by then was in a wheelchair. When the dog, Ebony, died, she had Messer dig a hole just east of the chapel during a snowstorm.
"She gave so much to me, personally, spiritually," said Messer.
Michelle Omaraie of Draper, who spent three years at the monastery before discerning she was not called to be a nun, said Mary Joseph was "always full of joy and laughing."
"I feel sad for people who didn't know her," said Omaraie. "She's laughing in heaven right now."