Viola Sadlowsky Defourneaux

Viola Sadlowsky Defourneaux, of Charleston, SC, passed away at her home Saturday, August 22, 2026 at the age of 89. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 1:00 PM Friday, August 28, 2026 at Nativity Catholic Church, 1061 Folly Road, James Island. The Rosary will be recited just prior to the Mass. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 604 Fort Johnson Road. The family will receive friends between 6:00 and 8:00 PM, with a 7:00 PM Vigil, Thursday at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Highway, Charleston.

Viola was born in Albany, Minnesota on August 4, 1937 and grew up in Avon , Minnesota on her family's farm. She graduated high school and went on to St. Cloud State. She later transferred to the College of St. Benedict where she later joined the sisterhood of St. Benedicts and trained to become an elementary teacher. After a few years, she found the religious life was not her calling and left the convent. She relocated to Charleston, SC in 1962. She taught at St. Patrick's and Blessed Sacrament school.

In August of 1972, she married Edward Defourneaux Jr. and they settled on James Island and became active parishoners of Nativity Catholic Church.

Viola could often be found participating in many activities and was always busy. She could be found working in her garden and sharing her harvest with many families and friends. She often spent time building her woodcrafts and selling them at craft fairs. When she wasn't doing that she spent her time watching musicals, spending time with her cats or her children and granddaughters, or watching her beloved Minnesota Vikings. She was an active member of the Nativity Ladies Guild and the Island Crafters Guild.

Viola loved her family and often spent a great deal of time with them. She is survived by her husband, Edward and her children Nicole DeSantis of Myrtle Beach and son Edward III, her granddaughters Abigail, Rebecca ( fiancé Jon Draize), and Alita, her sister Aggie Thyen, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased in death by her parents, her sisters: Dorothy Tomsche and Helen Lass, her infant son Thomas, and many beloved pets.