Sister Jeanne (Jeany) Buisson, CSC

We share news of the death of Sister Jeanne Buisson, CSC, who died at 1:54 a.m. on June 29, 2026, in Saint Mary’s Convent, Notre Dame, Indiana. Sister Jeanne entered the Congregation from Washington, D.C. on September 7, 1954. Her initial profession of vows took place on August 15, 1957.

Please join us in prayer for Sister as we renew our faith in the resurrected Jesus and strengthen our hope that all the departed will be raised to eternal life.

“One sees clearly only with the heart.” Or as Sister Jeanne Buisson would have said in flawless French, “On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur.” It is likely that Sister Jeanne, who began her teaching ministry in 1957 as Sister Miriam Emile, would have used Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince to engage her young students in French appreciation lessons. While the newly professed Sister of the Holy Cross started as an elementary school teacher, her background defined her active ministry, as she spent 46 years in secondary education as a passionate French teacher.

On September 4, 1931, Jeany Buisson—later known as Jeanne—was born in the Bronx borough of New York City to Emile Buisson and Julia Broca. Her parents were both French immigrants from Périguex and Biarritz respectively. The family eventually moved to Washington D.C. after Jeanne’s birth, where Emile was a chef at the Statler Hotel. Only two blocks away from the White House, the hotel is now known as the Capital Hilton. He likely cooked for notable guests and events, such as celebrities, dignitaries and possibly presidents and inaugural balls. Julia was a housewife, and later a seamstress. As their only child, Jeanne was very devoted to her parents. French was spoken in the home throughout her childhood, which provided her the perfect foundation of fluency for Jeanne’s future lifetime ministry.

Before she answered God’s call to join the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Jeanne’s love of everything French led her to further her knowledge of the language. After graduating from Holy Trinity High School, Washington D.C., in 1949, she went on to obtain her bachelor’s degree in 1953 from Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross in Washington D.C., majoring in French and minoring in secondary education. Jeanne was an only child, but she gained many religious sisters when she entered the Sisters of the Holy Cross in 1954. She wanted “to more perfectly accomplish the will of God.” Upon reception of the holy habit, she received the religious name of Sister Miriam Emile, taking her father’s name. She would reclaim her baptismal name in 1967, the same year she earned her master’s degree in French from the University of Notre Dame.

Sister Jeanne was a dedicated teacher and beloved by her students. After teaching fifth and sixth grade students at St. Bernard’s School in Riverdale, Maryland, from 1957 to 1960, she began teaching her favorite language at Notre Dame High School in Batavia, New York. It was here that students fondly called her “Sister Frenchy,” and students and colleagues alike admired how she was calm, even-tempered and invested in her teaching. For the next 46 years, Sister Jeanne taught French in several other high schools across the country, including Holy Cross Academy in Brookline, Massachusetts; Holy Cross High School in Austin, Texas; Holy Cross High School in Riverside, New Jersey; and The Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland.

Although she retired from the classroom in 2006, Sister Jeanne never stopped teaching. As a member of the Good Shepherd Community at Saint Angela’s Hall in Kensington, Maryland, she tutored French and volunteered extensively with the Wounded Warrior Project at Walter Reed National Military Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Each week, she joined a group of women who taught wounded service members to  knit or crochet. Many of the participants had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the repetitive hand movements involved in these activities help promote relaxation and reduce stress. The men valued the group’s friendship and support, and Sister Jeanne valued the opportunity to continue teaching beyond her retirement.

Sister Jeanne’s relationships were very important to her, and she spent every day cultivating them by keeping herself involved in her Holy Cross community. While living in the Good Shepherd Community, she faithfully attended Saint Angela’s Hall book club and was involved in various committees. The sisters who shared life in community with her described Sister Jeanne as delightful, kind, loving and a blessing to them.

A professed Sister of the Holy Cross for 68 years, Sister Jeanne died a few hours after midnight on June 29, 2026, at Saint Mary’s Convent, Notre Dame. She had been living at the motherhouse since 2018. She has joined her parents, who have preceded her in death, and is now home with God. May our prayers accompany her to eternal rest (Que nos prières l’accompagnent vers le repos éternel).

Services will be held at the Church of Our Lady of Loretto on Thursday, July 9, 2026, with visitation at 9:30 a.m.  Prayers and memento at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Mass of the Resurrection.  See the Sisters of the Holy Cross website for details.  Kaniewski Funeral Homes is assisting.

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