Sr. Cecilia Marie Zelmanski, CSSF, formerly Sr. Mary Romauald Zelmanski, CSSF, died Sept. 2 in Blessed Mary Angela Convent in Livonia. She was 99, and had been in religious life 81 years.

Born June 14, 1911, the fourth of eight children of John and Mary (Kosinski) Zelmanski, she was baptized at St. Casimir Church in Detroit.

The young Cecilia Zelmanski came in contact with the Felician Sisters during her years at three Felician staffed schools, St. Casimir, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary West Side), and St. Andrew.

She officially joined the Felician Sisters on Oct. 4, 1929. She was invested with the Felician habit in 1931 and received the name Sr. Mary Romuald, later changed to Sr. Cecilia Marie. She made her First Profession of vows in 1932, and Final Profession in 1938.

Her ministry of teaching spanned 55 years in the following schools: St. Adalbert and St. Anthony, Toledo, Ohio; St. Hyacinth, Resurrection, St. Albertus, St. Casimir, St. Louis the King, and St. Christine, all in Detroit; St. Stanislaus, Bay City; St. Mary, Alpena; St. Joseph, Manistee; St. Michael, Port Austin; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Wyandotte; St. Damian, Westland; St. Jude, Grand Rapids. Her final years were spent at St. Stanislaus, Dorr (Hilliards.

Her teaching days came to a close in 1986. After a short assignment at the Felician Motherhouse in Livonia, she ventured into a new ministry as an aide at Maryville in Holly. Her final ministry assignment was to St. Damian School, Westland, as a part time librarian.

In 1992 Sr. Zelmanski retired to Presentation Convent in Livonia, and in 2002 became a permanent resident of Blessed Mary Angela Convent in the infirmary.
She is survived by many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 7 in the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel in the Central House of the Felician Sisters, Livonia.

Burial was in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield.