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)
ALLEN, Janet Eileen, 56, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, Feb. 15. Wife of Steven Allen. Mother of Megan and Nicholas Allen. Daughter of Robert Sherer. Stepdaughter of Bonnie Sherer. Sister of Bob, Larry, Roger and Tom Sherer.
BASLER, Paula Marie, 67, St. Anne, New Castle, Feb. 13. Wife of Jack Basler. Mother of Renee Lakes, Alycia Townsend and John Basler. Sister of Ruth Koers. Grandmother of nine.
CORBETT, Frances, 87, Holy Family, New Albany, Jan. 23. Mother of Virginia Baublitz, Faye Rush, Patricia Thurman, Charles and Michael Corbett. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of five.
DUNHAM, Lura Elizabeth (Simpson), 83, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Feb. 9. Mother of Christine Cook, Judy Eppich, Dr. Deborah Kercheval and David Dunham. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of three.
ERTEL, Stanley, 85, St. Maurice, Napoleon, Feb. 12. Husband of Martha Ertel. Father of Linda, James, Keith and Lee Ertel. Brother of Robert Ertel. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of seven.
FRITSCH, Joseph C., 81, St. Louis, Batesville, Feb. 12. Father of Paula, Michael, Stephen and Thomas Fritsch. Grandfather of three.
GARRETT, Thelma Roberta, 92, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Feb. 8. Mother of Rozlyn Ehrgott, Roxann Laudick, Roberta Lopez, Rhodonna Tussey, Richard, Robert Jr., Rockne and Ronald Garrett. Grandmother of 29. Great-grandmother of 47. Great-great-grandmother of seven.
GETZ, Helen L., 95, Holy Guardian Angels, Feb. 11. Mother of Mary Sacksteder, David and Kenneth Getz. Grandmother of 12. Great-grandmother of 18. Great-great-grandmother of five.
HAGEDORN, Raymond Joseph, 83, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Feb. 8. Husband of Mary Hagedorn. Father of Denise Batliner, Debra Huber, Cheryl Pearce, Eugene, Joseph, Roger and Ronald Hagedorn. Brother of Agnes Simon. Grandfather of 18. Great-grandfather of four.
HAMMOND, Thelma L. (Phillips), 85, Holy Family, New Albany, Feb. 18. Mother of Suzi Deem, Lisa Koetter and Tina Walts. Sister of Minnie Beyl. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of nine.
JONAS, Elizabeth, 86, Holy Guardian Angels, Cedar Grove, Feb. 13. Mother of Becky Bartling, Melissa Leffingwell, Paula Meyer, Gerry and Tom Jonas. Sister of Rita Viel and Tom Rofles. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of five.
KELTY, Mary Louise (Schmitt), 100, Holy Family, New Albany, Feb. 23. Mother of Barbara and Joseph Kelty. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of two.
KRUER, Catherine M. (Miller), 96, St. John the Baptist, Starlight, Feb. 9. Mother of Arlene Bertrand, Thelma Bostock, Joyce Eyerly, Jeanette Williams, Alfred, Melvin, Michael, Norbert and Richard Kruer. Sister of Dolores Popp and Marcella Weikel. Grandmother of 21. Great-grandmother of 24.
LICH, John C., III, 87, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Feb. 15. Father of Barbara Fox, John IV and Stephen Lich. Grandfather of three.
LONG, Dorothy, 93, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Feb. 8. Mother of Phyllis Kaiser and Michael Long. Sister of Dr. Thomas Leathers. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of four.
LORENZ, George Joseph, 75, St. Paul, Tell City, Feb. 11. Husband of Judith (Loch) Lorenz. Father of Christine Laatz, Betsy Oei, Tonia and Matthew Lorenz. Brother of Barbara Burns, Donna Groves and Jim Lorenz. Grandfather of six.
McPHILLIPS, Carolyn J. (Fogle), 80, Holy Family, New Albany, Feb. 13. Mother of Francis McPhillips. Sister of Lois Erwin and Frances Williams. Grandmother of one.
NOBBE, Katherine and Sophie, stillborn twins, SS. Philomena and Cecelia, Oak Forest, Feb. 14. Daughters of Aaron and Kate Nobbe. Granddaughters of Dave and Deb Hartman and Art and Elaine Nobbe. Great-granddaughters of Alfred and Erma Hartman, Luella Bogenschutz, Jeanette Munchel and Alice Nobbe.
OBERMEYER, Bernard J., 81, Holy Family, Oldenburg, Feb. 11. Husband of Lois Obermeyer. Father of Charles Davidson, Geraldine Sloan, Donald and Ronald Obermeyer. Stepfather of Katharine Curtis and Lynette Myers. Grandfather of 12. Step-grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of 18. Step-great-grandfather of three. Great-great-grandfather of three.
RAYMAN, Harry, 76, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Feb. 9. Husband of Gini Rayman. Father of Jeffery Rayman. Brother of Joseph Rayman.
RYAN, James F., 79, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Feb. 17. Husband of Nancy Ryan. Father of Mary Ann Bailey, Kathleen Wilson, Daniel, David and Timothy Ryan. Grandfather of 22. Great-grandfather of 15.
SCHAEFER, Jane H., 78, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Feb. 13. Wife of Richard Schaefer. Mother of Catherine Edmunds, Laura Fox and Richard Schaefer. Sister of Linda Homann. Grandmother of four.
STILES, Linda L.,60, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Feb. 13. Wife of Jerry Stiles. Sister of Kathleen Carlson, Julie Keiffer, Patti Lind and John Cusimano.
WEILANDICH, Kara, 50, St. Andrew, Richmond, Feb. 10. Mother of Salvino Vincent. Daughter of George Weilandich and Patricia Friedman. Sister of Dwan Doherty.
David Gallagher was father of diocesan priest, agricultural consultant in Indiana, Colorado
David K. Gallagher, father of Father J. Peter Gallagher, died on Feb. 12 at St. Vincent Hospice in Indianapolis. He was 82.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 16 at St. Mary Church in Frankfort, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese. Burial followed at a later date in Silt, Colo.
Born on Jan. 25, 1931, in Indianapolis, Gallagher grew up in rural Shelby County and graduated from Waldron High School in Waldron.
He worked for decades as an agricultural consultant in Indiana and Colorado.
Surviving are his children Beth Keel, Kathryn Bullerdick and Ann, David, Kevin, Patrick, Father Peter, and Robert Gallagher, his former wife, Elizabeth Gallagher, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Sister of St. Benedict Mary Judith Howe taught in Catholic schools in Indiana for 31 years and was community’s treasurer
Sister of St. Benedict Mary Judith Howe died on Feb. 23 at the St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove, where she was a resident. She was 89.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 28 at the chapel of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove. Burial followed in the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Mary Judith was born on Nov. 15, 1923 in Bristow.
She entered the Benedictine Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Ind., in 1941. She made her perpetual monastic profession on Aug. 10, 1946, and later became a founding member of Our Lady of Grace Monastery.
Sister Mary Judith earned a bachelor’s degree in business at the former St. Benedict College in Ferdinand, Ind., and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana.
During 69 years as a Sister of St. Benedict, Sister Mary Judith ministered as an educator for 31 years at Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the Diocese of Evansville. In the archdiocese, she taught at Christ the King School in Indianapolis from 1945-48, the former St. Michael School in Bradford from 1950-52, the former Our Lady of Grace Academy in Beech Grove from 1958-63 and Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis from 1963-76.
She also served her community as its treasurer from 1959-63 and from 1968-86, when she retired from active ministry.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Retired Sisters’ Fund, c/o Our Lady of Grace Monastery, 1402 Southern Ave., Beech Grove, IN 46107 or online at www.benedictine.com. †