By Nicole Hamilton
Enquirer staff writer

DELHI TOWNSHIP - Sister of Charity Sally Harness dedicated her career to nursing and her life to God.

The former longtime nursing supervisor at Good Samaritan Hospital died Aug. 25 at Mother Margaret Hall nursing home in Delhi Township. She was 79 and had been a Sister of Charity for 56 years.

"Sally was a dedicated religious as well as a health-care professional. She always thought of the patient's good, wanting them to have the best care, whether it was given by her or by those she trained," said Sister of Charity Agnes Schaumleffel, a friend.

Raised on a farm in Chillicothe, Sarah Graham Harness entered the religious order in 1947. She joined after meeting several Sisters of Charity while attending the Good Samaritan School of Nursing.

She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing from the College of Mount St. Joseph and served as a nursing supervisor in Colorado and New Mexico before returning to Cincinnati in 1963.

As a nursing supervisor at Good Samaritan, in 1969, she established the hospital's IV therapy department, which she supervised until the department was closed in 1986.

Interested in ceramics, Sister Sally worked as a salesperson for a Cincinnati ceramics shop from 1988 until 1991. She moved to the Motherhouse in 1993 and created several ceramic pieces that she either gave away or sold at boutiques at the Motherhouse.

A brother, Sam Perdue, and three sisters, Elizabeth Collins, Josephine Harness and Mary Bowman, preceded her in death.

Surviving are two brothers, Robert and Daniel Harness; two sisters, Virginia Marsh and Barbara Herrnstein; and several nieces and nephews. Services have been held. Burial was in the Sisters of Charity Cemetery, Delhi Township.

Memorials may be made to the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Retirement Fund, 5900 Delhi Road, Mount St. Joseph, 45051.

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E-mail nhamilton@enquirer.com