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)
BROUGHER, Karen K., 59, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Indianapolis, April 24. Wife of Jim Brougher. Sister of Sharla Griffith and Jim Cecil.
CARRIER, Nancy (Pfeifer), 71, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, April 29. Wife of Gerald Carrier. Mother of Anne Bagshaw, Lea Beck, Alice Keller and Dr. David Carrier. Sister of Drs. David and James Pfeifer.
CROSSEN, William Joseph, 93, St. Joseph, Indianapolis, April 22. Father of Patricia Davisson. Grandfather of two. Great-grandfather of three.
EGAN, Nicholas J., 51, Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, May 1. Husband of Debi (Bray) Egan. Father of Ashley and Brian Egan. Brother of Mary Ann Ciely, Kay Lyons and Thomas Egan.
FRENCH, Mary Frances, 71, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, April 21. Wife of Darroll French. Mother of Karen Komar, Carol Yount and D. Philip French Jr. Sister of Jack and Tom Keller. Grandmother of seven.
KELLEY, Anna Lou, 81, St. Patrick, Indianapolis, April 27. Wife of Howard Kelley. Mother of Connie Doughty, Paula Laker, Mary McKnight, Karen Miller, Kathy Taylor, Brian, Jimmy, Kelly, Kevin, Mark and Michael Kelley. Grandmother of 33. Great-grandmother of 27. Great-great-grandmother of one.
LYLE, Harold, 101, Holy Family, Richmond, April 23. Father of Philip Lyle. Brother of Joseph Lyle. Grandfather of four.
MC DONALD, Betty L., 65, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, April 13. Wife of Jerome McDonald. Mother of Jerilyn Brewer, Jolanda Harmon and Jeremy McDonald. Sister of Carol Boyd, Helen Colvin, Gary, Mike, Rick and Ron Burris. Grandmother of nine.
MC MILLAN, Norma Jean, 79, Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, April 14. Wife of Robert McMillan. Mother of Dan, Gary, Joe, John, Larry and Tim McMillan. Sister of Laverne Shepherd and Richard Lohman. Grandmother of several. Great-grandmother of several.
ROBERTS, Margaret Mary (Mueller), 85, Immaculate Conception, Rushville, April 28. Mother of Marcia Fish, Mary Beth Keely, Margaret Speranza, David and Stephen Roberts. Sister of Mary Eileen Johnson, Charles, Clarence and Frederick Mueller. Grandmother of two.
SAVAGE, Dorothy, 88, Sacred Heart, Clinton, April 26. Sister of Joseph Burdick. Grandmother of one.
THOMPSON, Olan Chester, 72, St. Paul, Tell City, April 21. Husband of Nelda (Crawford) Thompson. Father of Cindy Kaufman, Bryan and Jay Thompson. Brother of Maridel Catt, Renea Schaeffer, Ricky and Toby Thompson. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of five.
VANNATTA, Elizabeth I., 92, St. Jude, Indianapolis, April 25. Mother of Victoria Howes. Sister of Teresa Cline. Grandmother of one.
Benedictine Sister Mary Joan Wargel
was founding member of monastery
Benedictine Sister Mary Joan Wargel, formerly Sister Mary Linus, died on April 22 at St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove. She was 86 and was a founding member of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on April 26 at the monastery chapel. Burial was at the sisters’ cemetery.
She was born on July 22, 1920, in Mount Vernon. She entered the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Ind., in 1936 and made her perpetual monastic profession in 1941.
She ministered as a teacher, principal and in health care for more than 50 years.
Sister Mary Joan taught at Catholic schools in Tell City, Bradford, Floyds Knobs, Indianapolis, Columbus and Mount Vernon. She ministered in health care at the monastery from 1992 until 2003.
Surviving are four sisters, Alice Larrance of Evansville, Ind., Syvilla Lewis of Mount Vernon, and Benedictine Sisters Dorothy and Renee Wargel of Beech Grove; and a brother, Benedict Wargel of Evansville.
Memorial gifts may be made to Our Lady of Grace Monastery, 1402 Southern Ave., Beech Grove, IN 46107.
Harry Dearing served archdiocese
as business manager for 16 years
Harry T. Dearing, a former business manager for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, died on May 4. He was 81.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on May 7 at Holy Spirit Church in Indianapolis. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery in Indianapolis.
A longtime member of Holy Spirit Parish, Dearing served the archdiocese for 16 years. He worked for Archbishop George J. Biskup and Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara before retiring in 1991.
“Harry Dearing was a wonderful Catholic gentleman,” said Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general. “Not only was he dedicated to his faith and to his family, he was also dedicated to the archdiocese. … Harry’s dedication and professional expertise laid the groundwork for the good stewardship the archdiocese exercises today in terms of our temporal goods.”
Dearing served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He also was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Fatima Council, and the Archdiocesan Building Commission.
Surviving are his wife, Mary Jo (Foley) Dearing; seven children, Barbara, Dan, Harry J., John, Patrick, Terry and Tom Dearing; two sisters, Patty Auman and Franciscan Sister Geraldine Power; two brothers, Jerry and Vic Dearing; and seven grandchildren.
Memorial gifts may be sent to Holy Spirit Parish, 7243 E. 10th St., Indianapolis, IN 46219. †