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)
BAKER, Donna M., 69, St. Louis, Batesville, March 25. Mother of Tracy Baker, Lori Jewell and Scott Lyle. Grandmother of six.
BELTER, Diana L., 61, St. Anthony, Morris, March 27. Wife of Paul Belter. Mother of Pam Goins, Rachel Hill, RoxAnn Riggs, Billy and Brian Belter. Daughter of Robert Flodder. Sister of Roberta Siebert, Bernie, George, Terry and Tim Flodder. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of one.
BESSLER, Mary Elizabeth, 96, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, March 31. Mother of Rosemarie Wood and William Bessler. Sister of Margaret Birck, Ann Korb, Helen Bessler and Walter Sommer. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 15. Great-great-grandmother of one.
BOOTH, Charles Vincent, 82, St. Joseph, Corydon, March 9. Stepfather of Brenda Stauth. Brother of Margaret Becht, Roberta Black, Wilma Ehringer, Loretta Schenck and Eugene Booth. Step-grandfather of three. Step-great-grandfather of four.
BORDENKECHER, Charles Walter, Sr., 79, Mary, Queen of Peace, Danville, March 19. Father of Barbara Lehman, Ruth Snider, Nancy Wheelock and Charles Bordenkecher Jr. Brother of Pauline Graf, Carolyn Hines, Margaret Kennedy, Phyllis Metzler, Anita, Joseph, Norman and William Bordenkecher. Grandfather of 11. (correction)
BRITE, Aloysius Ambrose, 78, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, March 20. Father of Sandra McCarty and Nancy Thompson. Brother of Mary Ann Selking and Justine Walter.
COONCE, Frances, 84, Sacred Heart, Clinton, March 31. Sister of Barbara Cheek, Philip and Richard Gutish.
DAUENHAUER, Donald A., 75, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, April 1. Father of Linda Hancock, Lisa Leach, Mary, Teresa and Michael Dauenhauer. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of two.
DIETZ, Richard M., 66, Holy Family, Oldenburg, March 24. Husband of Mary Jo Dietz. Father of Victoria Geiger, Diana Robbins and Michael Kelley. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of two.
DUFF, Mary Catherine, 72, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, Feb. 26. Mother of Kristen Jacob and Kevin Duff. Stepmother of Lisa Bell, Kim Carlo, Charlie Duff and Darrell Ray. Sister of Sue Coombs and Margie Haines.
ELLINGER, Charles Regis, 82, Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, April 5. Husband of Ruth Ellinger. Father of Beth Luster, Janette Lynch, Christina O’Donnell, Kathleen Sparks, Joyce and Timothy Ellinger. Brother of Mary Franz, Regina Murrin and Joseph Ellinger. Grandfather of 15. Great-grandfather of five.
FENCL, Ann K., 81, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, March 31. Wife of Jack Fencl. Mother of Patricia O’Grady, Mary, John and Tom Fencl. Grandmother of 10.
HARDEBECK, Janeen, 63, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, April 4. Wife of Jack Hardebeck. Mother of Debora Guffy, Tamara and Jeffrey Hardebeck. Sister of Francine Woeber. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of two.
HOLZER, Leona C., 81, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Indianapolis, April 3. Sister of Francis and Melvin Holzer. Aunt of 12. Great-aunt of several.
McDONALD, Jesse, Jr., 77, Holy Angels, Indianapolis, March 22. Husband of Mary McDonald. Father of Talja Griffin, Janine Lane, Karen Pope, Adriane, Jesse and Randall McDonald. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of 13.
MEGEL, Anna Mae, 92, St. Joseph, Jennings County, April 1. Mother of Dottie Davis, Jane Graf, Teresa Pierce, Mary Weber, Benedictine Sister Anna Marie Megel, Dan and Mike Megel. Sister of Betty Yount and Robert Hester. Grandmother of 28. Great-grandmother of 37.
MILLER, Robert T., 82, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, March 22. Husband of Dorothy Miller. Father of Pamela Haines, Debra Robertson and Michael Miller. Brother of Cletus and Jacob Miller. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of two.
RILEY, Mary R. (Gruner), 78, Christ the King, Indianapolis, April 2. Sister of David, John and Mike Gruner.
SHEETS, James R., 94, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Cambridge City, March 6. Father of Glenda Centers, Darryl and Douglas Sheets. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of nine.
SIMMERMEYER, Dennis B., 70, St. Mary-of-the-Rock, Franklin County, March 20. Husband of Sharon Simmermeyer. Father of Susan Magee, Cindy Puente, Tracy Roell and Mike Simmermeyer. Brother of Agatha Glaub, Kathlyn Fichtner, Ruthann Rudolf, Carl and Raymond Simmermeyer. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of one.
THOPY, Mary Evelyn, 95, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, March 31. Mother of Barbara Kaforke, Connie Miller, Joseph and Robert Thopy. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of four. Great-great-grandmother of one.
WALKER, Diane, 61, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, March 18. Sister of Lynn Swanson.
WELSH, Cecelia Mae, infant, St. Mary, New Albany, March 31. Daughter of Joseph and Andrea (Lopp) Welsh. Granddaughter of Gary and Vicky Lopp, and Joseph and Mary Helen Welsh. Niece of Erika Lopp.