(Sister Nancy Perlick)

Xavier College Prep lost one of its administrative pillars Friday.

Sister Nancy Perlick, Xavier’s associate athletic director, passed away. She was 71.

But more importantly she served as a mentor for Xavier’s student athletes, gave graciously of her time to community projects and forged a strong bond with good friend Sister Lynn Winsor, Xavier's athletic director, that helped mold Xavier into a dominant force in athletics for girls.

“Xavier mourns the loss of Sister Perlick, our beloved associate director of activities and athletics, who passed away (Friday) after a valiant fight against peritoneal cancer,” Xavier posted on its Facebook page. “Sister Nancy spent most of the past 20 years at Xavier, and her legacy is tremendous. She touched the lives of thousands in the Xavier community, and she will always be remembered with great affection. May she rest in the eternal peace of our Lord.”

After serving in the ministry of nursing for 13 years, Sister Nancy arrived at Xavier in 1995 as a volunteer coach and substitute teacher.

Xavier volleyball coach Tim McHale remembers Sister Nancy’s first days on the job, when she donned shorts, hit grounders for the softball team and chewed sunflower seeds.

“She was a very unique sister,” McHale said.

As the soft spoken leader of Xavier’s athletic department, Sister Nancy also helped balance her good friend, Sister Lynn, Xavier’s vocal leader and competitive force.     

“Sister Nancy was the organizer and made sure all the t’s were crossed and i’s were dotted,” McHale said. “A lot of the success groundwork she laid out for us and carried out Sister Lynn’s vision.”

Besides being the voice of reason in the athletics department, she also lent her voice at games as Xavier’s public address announcer.

But she contributed is so many other ways as well, not just in sports. In the classroom she served as an AP U.S. history teacher, and in the community, she worked with shelter programs.

A funeral mass for Sister Nancy will be held on Friday at 2 p.m. at Saint Francis Xavier Church.

A reception will follow at Xavier’s Founders Hall. 

"Sister Nancy was a valuable member of the Xavier community," Sister Lynn said. "She was a quiet, prayerful, insightful, and loving woman. Her legacy was tremendous, and we will always treasure everything that she did for Xavier."

Erin Alaimo of Xavier Prep sent the Arizona Interscholastic Association the following statement/biography of Sister Nancy.

Sister Nancy Perlick, RSM joined the Xavier College Preparatory community in September of 1995 as a volunteer substitute teacher, softball coach, and activities assistant.  She spent the following twenty years at Xavier as Director of Institutional Advancement, U.S. History Advanced Placement Teacher, and Associate Director of Activities and Athletics.

She was an integral member of Xavier’s Facilities and Construction Committees, the public address announcer for fifteen seasons of home volleyball, basketball, and softball games, and the coordinator of all athletic events, invitationals, and tournaments hosted at Xavier.  Her countless contributions also included representing Xavier at Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) region and section athletic meetings, helping to design Petznick Field, interviewing prospective coaches, authoring articles for national publications, creating game-day programs, writing Xavier’s coaching handbook, and meticulously planning the school’s annual commencement exercises.

A member of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Board of Directors, Sister Nancy served as the Chairperson of the NIAAA Credentials Committee, the Arizona Liaison to the NIAAA, and the President, Past President, and President-Elect of the Arizona Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.  She was a Certified Master Athletic Administrator, a member of the National Public Address Announcers Association, and a recipient of multiple national and state commendations and distinguished service awards.

Sister Nancy also served the Diocese of Phoenix for many years as a member of its Future Schools Task Force, Council of Religious Life Committee, Jubilee 2000 Committee, and School Board.  Her numerous leadership roles included President of the Diocesan School Board, Chair of the Council of Religious Finance Committee, and Founding Board Member of Central Arizona Shelter Services.

Prior to her years at Xavier, Sister Nancy dedicated more than twenty-five years to the ministry of nursing and health administration.  She joined the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1963, and she received both a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science from Russell College and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of San Francisco.  She spent thirteen years in nursing and then, after graduating from the University of Washington with a master’s degree in hospital administration, she served as an administrator for thirteen years.

Sister Nancy was a woman of great intelligence, quiet leadership, boundless dignity, and contagious humor.  She touched the lives of thousands in the Xavier community, and her legacy is tremendous.  She will always be remembered with great affection and profound respect.  She loved Xavier, and she thoroughly enjoyed working with the students.  A high-school softball player herself, she strongly supported the fusion of academic excellence and intense interscholastic competition.  Her favorite place in the world was Kauai, Hawaii; and her beloved canine companion, Rosie (and Rosie’s best friend, Ruby) was never far from her side.  Her battle against peritoneal cancer was valiant, and she is now resting in the eternal peace of our Lord.

Please pray for Sister Nancy, her sister Cindy Hoffmann, her brother Terry Perlick, and their families at this time of sadness.