CHICAGO — Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the chaplain for the men’s basketball team at Loyola University Chicago who became a beloved international celebrity during the Ramblers’ fairy-tale run to the Final Four of the 2018 NCAA Division I tournament, has died, the university announced Thursday night.
She was 106.
Sister Jean stepped down from her role with the Ramblers in August due to health reasons, though the school said she remained as an adviser in the final months of her life.
“In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace for generations of students, faculty, and staff,” Mark C. Reed said, the university’s president, said in a news release.
“While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy,” Reed added. “Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community and her spirit abides in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can aspire to share with others the love and compassion Sister Jean shared with us.”