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)
BAUMANN, Joseph Roy, Jr., 55, St. Jude, Indianapolis, April 24. Husband of Vinita (Bouquet) Baumann. Father of David and Joseph Baumann. Brother of Kathy Werschling, Mary, Jim and Tom Baumann.
BENNETT, Mary Jane, 82, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, April 20. Mother of Kathleen Niemann and Beverly Shane. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of nine.
CROWE, Dennis Leon, 49, St. Mary, Greensburg, April 5. Husband of Karen (Veerkamp) Crowe. Father of Johnathon Crowe. Son of Leon and Becky Crowe. Brother of Susan Kranz, Alan and Tom Crowe.
DAUBY, Wilfred J., 90, St. Paul, Tell City, April 16. Husband of Helen Dauby. Father of Lisa Hohl, Betty Howard, Joyce Thiery, Sherri Scott and Paul Dauby. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of one.
DEARING, Mary Jo, 83, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, April 13. Mother of Barbara, Dan, Harry, John, Patrick, Terry and Tom Dearing. Grandmother of nine.
GALLAGHER, Patrick J., 55, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, April 21. Husband of Adrienne Gallagher. Brother of Deacon Steve Hodges.
JONTA, Ella M. (Pushner), 97, St. Anthony, Indianapolis, April 5. Mother of Carol Penn, David and Robert Jonta.
KLEEMAN, Arthur E., 92, St. Paul, Tell City, April 19. Father of Kathy Blackford, Linda Noble and Connie Simpson. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of 12.
KUEHR, Charlotte Ann, 73, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, April 18. Mother of Joanne Cassada, Janet Farmer, Lorrie Gruner, Lisa Ramsey, Greg and Tim Kuehr. Sister of Mary Zuhl. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of three.
LUEDEMAN, Matthew J., 22, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, April 21. Son of Steve Luedeman and Carla Putnam. Brother of Megan, Greg and Mike Luedeman.
MORGAN, Jess L., 85, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, April 20. Husband of Rosemarie (Flick) Morgan. Father of Paula Morgan.
PUTHOFF, Beverly, 82, St. Andrew, Richmond, April 16. Mother of Suzi Hengesler, Terri Kinsey, John, Michael and Tony Kirkman. Stepmother of Jacqueline, Dennis, Jay and Michael Puthoff. Grandmother of several. Great-grandmother of several.
RITTER, James W., 84, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Indianapolis, April 21. Husband of Lydia Ritter. Father of Lisa Dovey, Julie Holmes, Bill and Bob Ritter. Brother of Paul Ritter. Grandfather of three. Great-grandfather of two.
SNYDER, Alfred E., 82, St. Pius V, Troy, April 12. Father of Carmin Fella, Teresa Kanneberg and Mark Snyder. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of one.
SCHWIPPS, Luella, 89, St. Charles Borromeo, Milan, April 20. Mother of Donald, George and Richard Schwipps. Sister of Catherine Eiklor, Adeline Lewis and Hazel Steinfort. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 14.
TAMER, Michael Frederick, 80, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, April 13. Father of Maria, Matthew and Michael Tamer III. Grandfather of two.
VESSEY, Dorothy L., 89, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, April 13. Mother of Barbara and Robert Vessey Jr. Sister of Virginia Lawrence. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 14.
WALLACE, Pansy, 68, St. Jude, Indianapolis, April 22. Daughter of Naomi Wallace.
ZILIAK, Sue Ann, 63, former member of Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, April 17. Sister of Bruce Ziliak.
Benedictine Sister Catherine Gardner was a founding member of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove
Benedictine Sister Catherine Gardner, formerly Sister Mary Clarence, died on April 6 at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove after a brief illness. She was 92.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on April 11 at the monastery chapel. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Catherine Ruth Gardner was born on May 6, 1918, in Loogootee, Ind.
She entered Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Ind., in 1935, and made her perpetual monastic profession in 1940.
Sister Catherine earned a bachelor’s degree in education at the former St. Benedict College in Ferdinand, a bachelor’s degree in theology at St. John University in Collegeville, Minn., a bachelor’s degree in religious education at St. Mary College in Winona, Wis., and a master’s degree in education at St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Ind.
In 1955, Sister Catherine was a founding member of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove.
She began teaching in 1939 in the Evansville Diocese then taught and served as the principal at the former St. Pius School in Troy, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs School in Floyds Knobs, the former St. Paul School in Tell City and Christ the King School in Indianapolis.
Sister Catherine also ministered as the formation director for her monastic community then served as the director of religious education at Christ the King Parish in Indianapolis, the former St. Columba Parish in Columbus and St. Mary Parish in Mitchell.
She retired to Our Lady of Grace Monastery in 1993.
Surviving are a sister, Anna Eble of Evansville, Ind., as well as several nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Retired Sisters’ Fund, Our Lady of Grace Monastery, 1402 Southern Ave., Beech Grove, IN 46107. †