Sister Crescentia Peschka, 95, died Saturday, January 17, 2009, in the Dominican Sisters convent infirmary, Great Bend, Kansas. Born July 12, 1913, in Odin, Kansas, as Loretta Caroline Peschka, Sister Crescentia was the daughter of the late Bruno and Crescentia (Hoffman) Peschka. She entered the Dominican Sisters Community July 16, 1928, and pronounced her first vows August 17, 1931. She celebrated seventy-five years of religious profession in 2006. Sister Crescentia spent her entire ministerial life in elementary school teaching 1932 - 1993. In seven parochial elementary schools she was also the principal. She taught grades one through eight at different times in her teaching career and after slowing down in 1988, she still taught part-time. She retired to the motherhouse in Great Bend in 1993. Sister Crescentia is survived by her Dominican Sisters community and one sister, Cynthia "Ciddy" Vick, Great Bend, Kansas. She was preceded in death by seven brothers, John, Michael, Sylvester "Butch", Bruno Jr, Francis, Lawrence, and Donald; and one sister, Valeria Rodman. Sister Crescentias body will be brought to the hospitality area of the Dominican Chapel of the Plains, 3600 Broadway, Great Bend, on Monday, January 19, 2009, at 1:00 p.m., where it will lie in state until the Liturgy of Christian Burial at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 20, 2009, with Rev. Benjamin Dande MSFS presiding. A wake service will be held Monday, January 19, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. Burial will be in the Sisters Resurrection Cemetery. Both the wake and the funeral will be held at the convent. Memorials in honor of Sister Crescentia may be sent to: Dominican Sisters Ministry Fund, Office of Mission and Ministry, 3600 Broadway, Great Bend, KS 67530-3692. Bryant Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Friends may call at the convent from 2:00 p.m. Monday, January 19 until the time of the wake service and on Tuesday, January 20 from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral.