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)
ALVEY, Jr., Charles W., 74, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyd County, July 14. Husband of Janet Alvey. Father of Angie Tevis, Gary and Kevin Alvey. Brother of Karen and Tammy Campbell, Melynda Nash and Sheila Pennington. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of five.
ARMOUR, Joseph, 78, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, June 28. Brother of Margaret Frank, Kathleen, Harry, Mark, Mike and Timothy Armour. Uncle of several.
BARKER, Joanilla, 57, St. Gabriel, Connersville,
June 10.
BELL, Jane A., 73, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, July 11.
BLACKWELL, Merrill A., 88, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, July 8. Husband of Marylyn Rose Blackwell. Father of Deacon Gary, Donnie and Mike Blackwell. Brother of Janice Stevenson and Ronald Blackwell. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of 10.
BRETT, Marie (del Carmen), 92, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Bright, July 28. Wife of Howard Brett. Mother of Teresa and Michael Brett. Sister of Ramon de Benito. Step-grandmother of one.
BRIDGES, Jerry M., 82, St. Joseph, Jennings County, July 18. Father of Ann Colaco, Jane, Lee and Mark Bridges. Brother of Joyce Allen. Grandfather of four.
BULTMAN, Jean, 94, St. Barnabas, Indianapolis, July 28. Mother of Janet Albers, Debra McCoy, Cheryl Perry and Ronald Bultman. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 13.
COX, Rosemary, 97, St. Barnabas, Indianapolis, July 17. Mother of Mary Anne Homan, Gary and Kevin Cox. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of six.
CURD, Jacquelyn L., 88, St. Augustine, Leopold, July 10.
Wife of Robert Curd. Mother of James, Robert, Steve and Terry Curd. Sister of Marijo Rigsby. Grandmother of four.
ETIENNE, Frederick, 73, St. Augustine, Leopold, July 21. Husband of Nancy Etienne. Father of Adam and Ryan Etienne. Brother of Donna Briggeman, Margie Edwards, Ruth Ory, Monica Richard, Doyle, Justin and Phil Etienne. Grandfather of four.
EVAN, Steven L., 81, St. Malachy, Brownsburg,
July 19. Father of Dawn, Misty and Steven Evan. Brother of Judy Page. Grandfather of 17. Great-grandfather of 20.
FOLEY, Victoria J. (Isenhart), 76, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Richmond, July 12. Wife of Mike Foley. Mother of Jeni Weaver and Jeff Foley. Sister of Barb Beres, Ellen Liebert, Sara Schroder, Bill and Jon Foley. Grandmother of seven.
FUSSNER, Jane C., 72, St. Peter, Franklin County, July 4. Wife of Bob Fussner. Mother of Debbie Miller-Pugh, Beth Weingart, Cindy and Doug Fussner. Sister of Lois Bohman, Joan Nobbe and Lawrence Bedel. Grandmother of 18. Great-grandmother of 17.
GEORGESCU, Sr., Paul F., 88, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, June 4. Husband of Georgie Georgescu. Father of Ann Marie and Paul Georgescu, Jr. Grandfather of three.
GISLER, Leslie P., 76, Christ the King, Indianapolis, July 14. Husband of Margaret Gisler. Father of Ann Martin, Maria Olson, David and Mark Gisler. Grandfather of seven.
GOLUB, Lisa, 60, Christ the King, Indianapolis, July 5. Mother of Page and Tyler Golub. Sister of Kathryn Carlen Brehm, Ann Gardner, Linda and Rich Carlen, Jr. Grandmother of one.
HARDING, Pamela A., 75, St. Augustine, Leopold, July 11. Wife of Danny Harding. Mother of Cheri Harpenau, Kelli Mace and Vicki Queck. Sister of Larry Carrico. Grandmother of seven.
HELKEMA, Sharon S., 87, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, July 16. Mother of Brett Helkema.
HELMING, Carrol M., 84, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, June 17. Wife of Donald Helming. Mother of Cindy Bechman and Steve Helming. Sister of Nancy Tritch. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of six.
HOTEL, Fred J., 87, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, July 17. Husband of Janet Hotel. Father of Jane Crotty, Jeannie Jansen, Anne Willmann, Katherine, Daniel, David, Fred, Joseph, Michael, Paul and Steven Hotel. Grandfather and great-grandfather of several.
JOHNSON, Donald S., 83, Holy Angels, Indianapolis, June 1. Father of Lorraine Johnson. Grandfather of two. Great-grandfather of one.
KENNEDY, Mary M., 93, Christ the King, Indianapolis, July 15. Mother of Fran Kendall, Kathy McCaw, Steve and Tim Farley, Bill, Jim, John and Mike Kennedy. Grandmother and great-grandmother of several.
KENNEDY, Terri E., 72, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, June 2. Stepmother of Katie Allen. Sister of Kristi Hromek. Grandmother of three.
LAMPING, Donna K., 80, St. Catherine of Siena, Decatur County, July 11. Wife of Carl Lamping. Mother of Barb Richardson, Karla Schumacher, Don and Ron Lamping. Sister of Sandy Elsner, Patsy Killgore, Erma Moore, Suzie Wood and David Black. Grandmother of 14. Great-grandmother of five.
MOORE, Diana C., 54, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Aurora, July 23. Daughter of Glenn Moore. Sister of Monica Begley, David, Ronnie and Terry Moore. Aunt and great-aunt of several.
OLDING, John, 88, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, June 25. Husband of Mary Frances Olding. Father of Terri Roadruck, Colleen Serletti, Jack, Jr., and Jason Olding. Grandfather of 12. Great-grandfather of 14.
PETRY, Dr. Robert, 72, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, July 14. Husband of Roseanne Petry. Father of Kathryn Petry-Rich, Denise Petry-Stevenson and Robert Petry. Stepson of Susan Petry. Brother of Jana Mason and Thomas Petry. Grandfather of three.
RADEZ, Ryan J., 41, St. Malachy, Brownsburg,
July 13. Son of Rich and Donna Radez. Brother of Paige Ison and Eric Radez. Uncle of two.
RICKEY, Jr., William, 92, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, July 13. Husband of Marlene Rickey. Father of Denise Bullard, Debbie Mulry, Kathy and Tim Rickey. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of 10.
ROBINETTE, Marilyn A. (DuValle), 89, St. Barnabas, Indianapolis, July 29. Mother of Amy Harris, Julie Mendez, Becky Reinhart, Brad and Greg Robinette. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of four.
ROHE, William G., 85, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Bright, July 19. Husband of Judy Rohe. Father of Sharon Mitchell, Mike Martin, Daniel, Dennis and William Rohe. Grandfather of 17. Great-grandfather of seven.
SWEENEY, David L., 75, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, July 5. Husband of Barbara Sweeney.
TEKULVE, Mary M., 80, St. Louis, Batesville, July 21.
Wife of Thomas Tekulve. Mother of Melissa Garver, Michelle Pitstick, Ted and Todd Tekulve. Sister of Diane Arnold, Cynthia Decker and Kay Koppel. Grandmother of 10.
THOMPSON, Frank W., 84, St. Louis, Batesville, July 12. Husband of Jean Leising. Father of Jill Koch, Susan Moore, Sharon Pontius, Jennifer Whaley and Jeffrey Leising. Brother of Joanne Smart. Grandfather of 12. Great-grandfather of five.
WEBERDING, Stella F., 101, St. Louis, Batesville, July 10. Mother of Jane Keeth, Deb Mauzy, Kathy Moore, Dennis, Donald, Gary, Kenny and Tony Weberding. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of 25. Great-great-grandmother of two.
WHEATLEY, Sarah L., 61, St. Paul, Tell City, July 11. Wife of Jim Wheatley. Mother of Katie, Dane and Trent Wheatley. Sister of Susan King, Denny, Randy and Scott Etienne. Grandmother of four.
WHITE, Jessie M., 57, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, July 2.
Wife of Michael White. Mother of Samantha Urankar and Nathan White. Sister of Kimberly, Gregory, Keith and Vernon Koers.
Franciscan Sister Carol Ann Mause served in Catholic schools and parishes
Franciscan Sister Carol Ann Mause (formerly Sister Rosarita) died on July 3 at the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg. She was 80.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 9 at the Motherhouse Chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Carol Ann was born on Jan. 23, 1944, in Cincinnati. She joined the Sisters of St. Francis on Sept. 9, 1962, and professed final vows in on Aug. 12, 1968. Sister Carol Ann earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Marian University in Indianapolis and a master’s degree in administration at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.
During her 62 years as a member of the Sisters of St. Francis, Sister Carol Ann ministered in Catholic education and parish ministry in Indiana, Missouri and Ohio.
In the archdiocese, she served at the Oldenburg Academy of the Immaculate Conception in Oldenburg from 1995-97 and St. Nicholas School in Ripley County from 2012-15.
She is survived by a sister, Dee Boehmer.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036-0100.
Franciscan Father Edward Boren was served in parishes and schools, Hispanic ministry
Franciscan Father Edward Born, a member of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe of the Order of Friars Minor based in Atlanta, died on July 10 at Ennvive Healthcare of Beech Grove in Beech Grove. He was 87.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 23 at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Indianapolis. Burial followed at Calvary Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Father Edward was born on Sept. 2, 1936, in Indianapolis where he grew up as member of Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. John the Evangelist parishes.
He was received into the former Franciscan Sacred Heart Province on June 21, 1956, professed temporary vows on June 22, 1957, and final vows on June 22, 1960. Father Edward was ordained a priest on Jan. 19, 1964.
During his 60 years of priestly life and ministry, Father Edward served in parishes and schools in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. During much of that time, he was involved in Hispanic ministry.
In the archdiocese, Father Edward served at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and Roncalli High School, both in Indianapolis, from 1973-74. In 2022, he returned to Sacred Heart of Jesus to live close to his family and to give sacramental assistance in the area before residing at Ennvive Health Care of Beech Grove.
Surviving is a sister, Alice Halloran.
Memorial gifts may be sent to FriarWorks, 129 West 31st St., New York, NY 10001-3403. †
Franciscan Sister Barbara James served in Catholic schools and parishes
Franciscan Sister Barbara James (formerly Sister Kieran) died on July 18 at the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg. She was 83.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 23 at the Motherhouse Chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Barbara was born on Dec. 11, 1941, in Indianapolis. She grew up as a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and Christ the King Parish in the city and graduated from Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School in 1960.
Sister Barbara joined the Sisters of St. Francis on Sept. 8, 1961, and professed final vows on Aug. 12, 1967. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Marian University in Indianapolis and later a master’s degree in ministry.
During her 63 years as a member of the Sisters of St. Francis, Sister Barbara ministered in Catholic education for 18 years in schools in Indiana, Ohio and Montana. She went on to serve for 27 years in pastoral ministry, nursing and as a director of religious education.
In the archdiocese, she served at St. Mary School in Rushville from 1969-74, the former St. Mary School in Aurora from 1974-75,
and at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in New Albany from 1975-77. She later ministered at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianapolis from 1996-98, St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Clarksville from 2005-06, St. Paul Parish (now part of St. John Paul II Parish) in Sellersburg from 2006-07, and St. Mary Parish in Lanesville from 2007-09.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036-0100. †
Benedictine Father Colman Grabert was a seminary professor, retreat leader
Benedictine Father Colman Grabert, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, died on Aug. 4 at the monastery’s infirmary. He was 85.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 12. Burial followed at the Archabbey Cemetery.
Father Colman was a jubilarian of monastic profession, having celebrated 64 years of monastic profession. He was also a jubilarian of ordination, having celebrated 59 years of life and ministry as a priest.
Father Colman was born on Aug. 4, 1939, in Evansville, Ind., and was given the name Glynn at his baptism.
Father Colman enrolled at the former Saint Meinrad High School Seminary in 1953 and continued as a student at the former Saint Meinrad College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1962.
He was invested as a novice at Saint Meinrad Archabbey after his sophomore year in college. Father Colman professed simple vows on Aug. 15, 1960, and
solemn vows on Aug. 15, 1963. He was ordained a priest on Sept. 5, 1965.
After ordination, Father Colman pursued graduate studies in theology at the Collegio Sant’Anselmo in Rome, earning a licentiate in 1967.
Returning to Saint Meinrad, Father Colman began a long period of service teaching theology at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology that ended in 1994.
In addition to serving at Saint Meinrad, Father Colman attended the 1979-80 Asian Benedictine Conference, taking him to Taiwan and Japan. He would also teach for periods in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
At the monastery, Father Colman served for many years as an organist, as secretary to the archabbot, as house prefect, gardener and in mail service. He also led many retreats for monastic and other men’s and women’s religious communities and at Saint Meinrad’s Guest House and Retreat Center.
Memorial gifts may be sent to Saint Meinrad Archabbey, 200 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN 47577. †