After 27 years at Immaculate Conception School in Jefferson City, Sister Josetta Eveler is leaving a family of many to care for a single family member.
The Catholic sister, who has served the school and church "in every capacity known to man," according to Principal Heather Schrimpf, is heading to Fort Worth, Texas, today for another high calling: providing care for her blood sister, Billye Olson, a retired nurse who suffers from Parkinson's disease.
"We're going to miss her terribly," Schrimpf said. "She's been here a long time and is definitely a pillar to our school community."
For Eveler, leaving the school and church isn't easy. She shed tears at a Sunday reception in her honor as a steady line of parishioners wished her well for two hours.
"The hugs I gave to the kids meant a lot, and those they gave me meant a lot also," she said, adding her IC family means "everything" to her.
She became emotional during an interview for this story, but she knows God is leading her to do the right thing, bringing her from one high calling to another.
She is a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, which uses a quote from the late Bishop Claude Dubuis as its foundational call: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, suffering in the persons of a multitude of sick and infirm of every kind, seeks relief at your hands."
Eveler served eight years at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Taos before coming to IC in 1988. Most of her tenure at IC has been spent teaching students in the computer lab, which she built up from six or eight computers to 24 computers and 24 printers. An avid Apple fan, she has been a member of the local appleJAC computer club.
She also has worked in the school library for two years and as a teacher's aide for two years - in addition to her service in the church, which has ranged from being a lector to a communion minister to coordinating the altar servers.
However, despite her various forms of service to the school and church, her nickname is derived from another service she provides. She's known to many at IC as "the recycling queen." Students at the school even made her a crown to go along with the title.
She is often seen walking around the neighborhood near IC with her can-grabbing device, which she uses to collect and recycle aluminum cans. She is also meticulous about organizing school collections of Box Tops, and other programs that give cash kick-backs to customers, such as Tyson labels, Moser's cash register receipts and Best Choice bar codes.
Collecting trash for cash might have negative connotations for some, but to Eveler, it's an enjoyable form of exercise. Plus, the trash adds up to real money for the school.
Schrimpf said it amounted to nearly $7,000 for the IC school last year. Half of the money from aluminum cans went toward school office supplies, and the other half was sent to the parish's missions in Peru. That's another reason Eveler collects the cans.
"I had the privilege of visiting our congregational missions in Peru," she explained. "I could see I was not called to be there, but there is a need for funds there."
Eveler hopes her farewell isn't forever, and said she would like to return to her family at IC. However, for now, she knows she's doing what she needs to do.
"I felt and I sensed it was God's will for me," Eveler said. "Leaving Jefferson City is difficult because it is my hometown. I was born and raised here.
"Leaving all these wonderful students and friends is difficult, but I know it's God's will, and he'll pull me through."