Obituaries

Please submit in writing to our office by 10 a.m. Thursday before the week of publication; be sure to state date of death. Obituaries of archdiocesan priests serving our archdiocese are listed elsewhere in The Criterion. Order priests and religious sisters and brothers are included here, unless they are natives of the archdiocese or have other connections to it; those are separate obituaries on this page.

Submit an obituary here (parishes and funeral homes only)

BENSON, Ramona, 77, Holy Family, Richmond, June 11. Wife of Jerry Benson. Mother of Alice Chamness, Linda Hood, Janet Krammes and Gloria Thalls. Stepmother of Tracy Benson. Sister of Bob, Dan, Jack and Paul Myers. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of two.

BLANFORD, Arthur, 73, St. Mary, Greensburg, June 16. Husband of Sandra Kay Blanford. Father of Patricia Jones, Julie, Art, John and Terry Blanford. Brother of Doris Branson, Ann Hicks and Elmer Blanford. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of two.

DEMPSEY, Douglas, 80, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, June 19. Husband of Irma Dempsey. Father of Holly Geeslin and Kelly Dempsey. Grandfather of two.

DOYLE, Irene Anna, 97, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, June 21. Mother of Alvin Eckstein. Sister of Gertrude Meisberger. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of 17. Great-great-grandmother of six.

FRANZ, LaVerne B., 84, SS. Francis and Clare, Greenwood, June 10. Husband of Rose Marie Franz. Father of Debbie Baker, Nancy Rice, David and Larry Franz. Brother of Bill and Delbert Franz. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of one.

FRY, Virginia, 78, Holy Family, Richmond, June 17. Wife of Dudley Fry. Mother of Cory Fry. Stepmother of Dudley Jr. and Michael Fry. Sister of Bonnie Barrett, Carrol Moak, Janice Ninde, Danny and Ronnie Vogelgesang. Grandmother of four. Step-grandmother of four.

HOEHN, Frances (Cory), 100, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, June 14. Wife of Elmer Hoehn. Mother of Kathleen Gillmore and Patrick Hoehn. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two.

JAKEL, Dennis G., 73, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, June 24. Husband of Bernice (Hildebrand) Jakel. Father of Leslie Tesch and Todd Jakel. Brother of Beatrice Duncan, Lucille Stiner, Carl and Dale Jakel. Grandfather of three.

JAMISON, Margaret (Wuetcher), 90, St. Mary, New Albany, June 16. Mother of David, Norman and Robert Jamison. Sister of Marilyn Price and Herman Wuetcher. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of 10.

JOHANNIGMAN, Marjorie C., 82, Immaculate Conception, Millhousen, June 19. Wife of Urban Johannigman Sr. Mother of Cathy, Janet and Marilyn Bedel, Darlene Engleking, Dottie Hellmich, Margaret Ledford, Laurie Lynn, Donna Schwering, Betty Silcox, Charles and Urban Johannigman Jr. Sister of Carl and John Veerkamp. Grandmother of 26. Great-grandmother of 22.

KILLINGER, Cheryl Lynn, 53, St. Jude, Indianapolis, June 16. Wife of Shane Killinger. Daughter of Denny and Margie Parsons. Sister of Lori and Mike Larsh, Julie McIntosh, Steve McCauley and Jim Spears.

KUEHR, Norm, 85, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, June 21. Husband of Betty Jane (Kingston) Kuehr. Father of Mary Lynn Jennings, Susan and Kurt Kuehr. Brother of Carol Tucker, Richard and Robert Kuehr. Grandfather of four.

LAUGHLIN, James, 57, St. Mary, Richmond, June 17. Brother of Roberta Hilling, Nancy Laughlin, Michelle Taylor, Rebecca Vosmeier, Dan and Tom Delk.

LITTLE, James Harold, 86, St. Margaret Mary, Terre Haute, June 9. Father of Patricia Celaski, Susan Culp, James Jr., Ronald and Stephen Little. Brother of Mary Lou Forbeck and Carl Little. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of 22. Great-great-grandfather of three.

MATIS, Mary Elizabeth (Flynn), 89, Most Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, June 15. Mother of Judy Christoffersen, Jane Regensburg, James and Joseph Matis. Sister of Franklin Flynn. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of two.

MEER, Martha, 90, St. Mary, Rushville, June 16. Sister of Paul Gallimore. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of four. Great-great-grandmother of one.

MEER, Ralph J., 84, St. Mary, Greensburg, June 18. Husband of Carol Meer. Father of Reatha Thompson and Malcolm Meer. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of eight.

MENNEMEYER, Marilyn G. (Goewert), 74, St. Mary, New Albany, June 18. Mother of Lisa Brown, Beverly Parsons, Sandy Winstead, Gary and Steven Mennemeyer. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of three.

MILLER, Leo Joseph, 84, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, June 15. Father of Trela Donati, Mary Beth, Joseph and Leo Miller. Brother of Joanne Burkert, Mary Alice Feldhake and Richard Miller. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of two.

MURPHY, Gene A., 82, Holy Family, New Albany, June 22. Husband of Betty Jo Murphy. Father of Mike, Patrick, Timothy and Thomas Murphy. Grandfather of 11.

NAREY, Elizabeth C., 87, St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington, June 17. Mother of Edward, Matthew and Michael Narey. Sister of Catherine Walak, Herman and William Lichius. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of nine.

NIGHBERT-VALENTINE, Barry, 68, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, June 1. Brother of John Nighbert Jr.

O’ROURKE, Joseph B., 78, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, June 10. Husband of Fran O’Rourke. Father of Mimi Kaehr, Dan, Jay and Pat O’Rourke. Brother of Ann and John O’Rourke. Grandfather of 16.

RITZMANN, James A., Sr., 80, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, June 20. Father of Betsy Byrnes, Jeanne Sandford, Roxanne Schiller, Dan and Jim Ritzmann. Grandfather of 20.

RITZMANN, Martha Cecilia, 80, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, June 15. Wife of James Ritzmann. Mother of Betsy Byrnes, Jeanne Sandford, Roxanne Schiller, Dan and Jim Ritzmann. Sister of Mary and Ed Fasnacht. Grandmother of 20.

THEOBALD, James A., 73, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, June 22. Husband of Joyce Theobald. Father of Julie Wholey, Andy, Bob and Jerry Theobald. Brother of Mabel Putt. Grandfather of 11.

TRETTER, Neva C., 85, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, June 4. Mother of Marilyn Stark and Karilyn Tretter. Sister of Carmen Woodward and Karl Simon Jr. Grandmother of two.

Providence Sister Leona Walsh served as a teacher and librarian

Providence Sister Leona Walsh, the former Sister Mary Charlene Walsh, died on June 10 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 79.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on June 18 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Leona Marie Walsh was born on Sept. 21, 1930, in Saginaw, Mich.

She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence on Feb. 14, 1953, and professed her first vows on Aug. 15, 1955, and her final vows on Aug. 15, 1960.

Sister Leona earned a bachelor’s degree in French at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and master’s degree in library science at Catherine Spalding College, now Spalding University, in Bardstown, Ky.

During 57 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered as a teacher at Catholic schools in Indiana and Illinois for 11 years.

Sister Leona taught at the former St. Catherine School in Indianapolis from 1955-56, St. Philip Neri School in Indianapolis from 1959-60, Holy Cross Central School in Indianapolis from 1960-62 and Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville from 1962-63.

She served as a school librarian at the former Ladywood Academy in Indianapolis from 1963-70 and the former Ladywood-St. Agnes Academy in Indianapolis from 1970-76.

In 1976, she joined the library staff at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and served as a cataloger.

After retiring from this ministry position in 2002, she volunteered for six years in the congregation’s Records and General Administration offices.

She is survived by her twin sister, Providence Sister Emily Walsh of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence or to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in care of 1 Sisters of Providence Road, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. †