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)

AUSTIN, Kathleen Carole (Clark), 66, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, Nov. 2. Mother of Michael Austin. Sister of Therese Bisesi, Patricia McKeon and Joan Shock.

BAUER, Liberty Belle (Clark), 94, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jeffersonville, Jan. 5. Mother of Carol and Donald Bauer. Stepmother of Robert Bauer. Grandmother of two. Step-grandmother of three. Great-grandmother of four.

BECKER, William L., 88, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Jan. 8. Husband of Joan Becker. Father of Rosemary Almond, Margaret Bingham, Cathy Gilmore, Anne Pebworth and William Becker. Grandfather of 13.

BONHAM, Ann A., 88, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Jan. 8. Mother of Keith, Mark and Paul Bonham. Grandmother of four.

BROWN, Ellise Helene, infant, St. Paul, New Alsace, Jan. 9. Daughter of Peter and Andrea (Wynn) Brown. Sister of Noah Brown. Granddaughter of Robert and Kathy Brown and Jess and Maria (Ahaus) Wynn. Great-granddaughter of Andy and Vera Ahaus.

CLARK, Ernest, Jr., 82, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Jan. 5. Husband of Mary (O’Keefe) Clark. Father of Patricia Fassold, Peggy Gilland, Daniel, Ernie, Thomas and William Clark. Grandfather of 15. Great-grandfather of five.

COBB, Helen T., 79, Our Lady of Lourdes, Jan. 5. Mother of Mary Brown, Susan Sullivan, Katherine, Theresa, Michael, Thomas and William Cobb II. Grandmother of 14. Great-grandmother of 13.

CREED, Catherine E., 91, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, Jan. 1. Mother of Michael Creed, James and Phillip Wainscott. Sister of Mary Rose Moorhead. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of six.

EFFINGER, Walter Richard, 70, St. Mary Magdalen, New Marion, Dec. 15. Husband of Beverly (Payne) Effinger. Father of Dara Adams, Angie Hartwell and Bryan Copeland. Brother of Ruth Ann Herald, Mary Jane Hunter and William Effinger. Grandfather of seven.

FIRSICH, Albert, Jr., 86, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Jan. 2. Husband of Martha Ann (Widman) Firsich. Father of Sue Jobe and John Firsich. Brother of Mary Ann Wilhelm, Barbara Wilson, James and Leon Firsich. Grandfather of two.

FISCHER, Connie S., 60, St. Vincent de Paul, Shelby County, Jan. 7. Wife of William Fischer. Mother of Andrea Strehle. Daughter of Harold Kelley and Ruth McVey. Stepdaughter of Alice Kelley. Sister of Pam Owens and Robert Kelley. Grandmother of two.

GARLAND, Patricia A., 68, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Jan. 3. Mother of Andrea Roberts and Michael Hudson. Grandmother of one.

HILTZ, Wilfred Francis, 84, St. John the Baptist, Dover, Jan. 3. Husband of Helen Hiltz. Father of Melanie Gutzwiller, Cheryl Lieland, Lisa Nobbe, Rhonda Trabel, Gary and Tim Hiltz. Brother of Marge Arthur and Irma Kaiser. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of seven.

KABBES, Matt R., 78, St. John the Baptist, Osgood, Dec. 28. Husband of Delores (Riestenberg) Kabbes. Father of Kathy Kreimer, Susan Spielmann, Pamela and Michael Kabbes. Brother of Gail Schwettmann, Bob and Roger Kabbes. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of seven.

KIEFER, Cecelia (Meyer), 83, St. Meinrad, St. Meinrad, Jan. 6. Wife of Roman Kiefer. Mother of Terry Kiefer. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two.

KREMP, Thomas B., 83, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Dec. 12.

KULCZAK, Betty, 90, St. Andrew the Apostle, Indianapolis, Dec. 17. Mother of Barbara Woehler and Theresa Kulczak. Grandmother of one.

MARTIN, Martha J., 76, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Jan. 3. Wife of Philip Martin. Mother of Mary Louise Fox and Deborah Nicholas. Sister of Maryann Pluckebaum and Donald Beckerich. Grandmother of six.

MEISTER, Nicholas William, 25, St. John the Baptist, Osgood, Dec. 22. Son of Thomas and Marlene (Downey) Meister. Brother of Thomas Meister. Grandson of Bill and Elizabeth Downy and Paul and Glenda Meister.

MILLER, William Kenneth, 68, St. Joseph, Corydon, Jan. 5. Husband of Carrie (Huff) Miller. Father of Michelle Kopp, Sherry Riggs and Darrell Miller. Brother of Naomi Chism, Deanna Heinlein, Rita Snyder, Gene, James and Marvin Miller. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of two.

MORONE, Antone, 81, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Indianapolis, Dec. 27. Husband of Doris Morone. Father of Dominic and Mario Morone. Brother of Angela Forni and Joseph Morone.

PHILLIPS, Deborah K., 59, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Jan. 8. Wife of John Phillips. Mother of Nicole Phillips-Johnson and John Phillips II. Daughter of Harry Mains and Barbara Kline. Sister of Barbara Faryna and Sherry French. Grandmother of six.

ROELL, Raymond E., 87, St. Louis, Batesville, Jan. 8. Father of Sharon Eckstein, Marilyn Todd, David, Earl and James Roell. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of one.

SCHATZ, Alvin A., 97, St. Meinrad, St. Meinrad, Jan. 7. Father of Mark and Sam Schatz. Brother of Norbert Schatz. Grandfather of three. Great-grandfather of one.

SCHWERING, Ruth Ann, 78, St. Mary, Greensburg, Jan. 2. Mother of Brian, Doug, Greg and Mark Schwering. Sister of Charles, Dan and John Greiwe. Grandmother of nine.

SHINE, Donald F., 88, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Jan. 9. Father of Deborah Huffines, Bill, Dan, Donny, Mike and Tom Shine. Brother of Mary, Rita, Bill, Bob, Jerry and Pat Shine. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of five.

SNYDER, Joan E., 65, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Dec. 30. Wife of James Snyder. Mother of Heather Gill and Michael Snyder. Sister of Judith Crumpton, Dwight and Keith Smith. Grandmother of three.

STILES, Ralfetta (Kincaid) E., 96, St. Paul, Tell City, Jan. 6. Mother of Sandra Hammons, Nita Kincaid and Ralph Stiles. Sister of Flora Ritter and James McNew. Grandmother of six. Step-grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of several. Great-great-grandmother of several.

TERRELL, Phyllis J., 77, St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington, Dec. 28. Wife of Edgar Terrell. Mother of Angie Terrell-Wagner, Edgar, Greg, Kevin and Kim Terrell. Sister of Helen Stouney. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of two.

TESTERMAN, Charles M., 76, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Dec. 29. Husband of Sharon Testerman. Father of Phyllis Leimenstall, Denise Schreier, Ruthanne Williams, Mark and Matthew Testerman. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of eight.

WALL, Mary Lou, 84, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Jan. 1. Mother of Susan Johnson, Barbara Port, Nancy Somerville, Kathy Stonehouse, Margaret, Daniel, David, James, Mark, Matt, Mike, Robert and Timothy Wall. Grandmother of 19. Great-grandmother of 15. Great-great-grandmother of two.

WALSER, Mary Avis, 91, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Jan. 4. Wife of Francis Walser. Mother of Mary Hunter, Joanne Lange, Alice, Francis and Thaddeus Walser. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of seven.

WALSMAN, Howard J., 95, St. Louis, Batesville, Jan. 5. Father of Dianne Jessup, Beverly Poske and David Walsman. Brother of Barbara Ernstes, Franciscan Father Paul Walsman, and Robert Walsman. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of eight.

WOOLEMS, Carol A., 70, St. Joseph, Corydon, Jan. 1. Mother of Sally Jones, Bill and Todd Woolems. Sister of Bob and Howard Goldman. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of three.

WUDARSKY, Ann R., 95, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Nov. 28. Mother of Page Cline, Dale Brant, Charles Conley, George Merkich and Edward Wudarsky Jr. Sister of Frances A’Hern and Kathryn Doboski. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of 20. Great-great-grandmother of three.

Benedictine Father Harold Hammerstein was a monk and a priest for more than 60 years

Benedictine Father Harold Hammerstein, a monk and priest of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, died on Jan. 18 St. John’s Home, a ministry of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Evansville, Ind. He was 89.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Jan. 23 at the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln. Burial followed at the Archabbey Cemetery.

Father Harold was a jubilarian of profession and priesthood, having celebrated 68 years of monastic profession and 63 years of priesthood.

Frederick Hammerstein Jr. was born on Oct. 13, 1923, in Evansville. After completing his elementary education at St. Benedict Grade School in Evansville, he entered high school at Saint Meinrad, where he continued his education through college.

He became a novice at Saint Meinrad in 1943, and continued his priestly formation at the Collegio di Sant’Anselmo in Rome after professing simple vows in 1944.

After returning from Rome, Father Harold taught in and served in the administration of Saint Meinrad Seminary.

He later served as a chaplain at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute and in parish ministry at St. Augustine Parish in Leopold and the former missions of St. Mary in Derby and Sacred Heart of Jesus in Perry County.

In 1978, he began parish ministry at St. Benedict Parish in Evansville in the Evansville Diocese. It is now the cathedral of the diocese.

Memorial contributions may be made to Saint Meinrad Archabbey, 200 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN, 47577; the Reverend Harold Hammerstein, O.S.B. Endowment Fund at St. Benedict’s Cathedral, 1328 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, IN 47714; or the Little Sisters of the Poor, 1236 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, IN 47714. †