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)
CANTIN, Mary, 80, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Sept. 1. Wife of Dick Cantin. Mother of Barbara Carroll and Michael Cantin. Sister of Dick Laudick.
EVERETT, Lucas E., infant, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Indianapolis, Aug. 28. Son of Lee and Stephanie Everett.
FRIEDRICH, James A., 69, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Sept. 1. Father of Aaron, Bryan and Jamie Friedrich. Brother of Paula Sandlin. Grandfather of two.
FULTON, Clona C., 89, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Aug. 31. Mother of Christin, Christopher and Paul Fulton. Grandmother of three. Great‑grandmother of one.
GERTH, Charles, 82, St. Anne, New Castle, Aug. 31. Father of Charles and Michael Gerth. Grandfather of two.
HAMEL-HARRIS, Roseann, 78, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, Sept. 1. Mother of Brad and Brian Hamel. Sister of Frank, Jim, John and Leo Evans. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of one.
HECKLER, Paul F., 92, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Aurora, Sept. 4. Husband of Doris Heckler. Father of Ann Fetzer, Amy, Paula, David, Luke, Mark and Michael Heckler. Brother of Mary Macerlane and Joe Heckler. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of two.
KING, Martha A., 91, St. John the Baptist, Starlight, Aug. 23. Aunt of several.
MCCONAHAY, Charles E., 82, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, Aug. 31. Father of Ann Figy, Kathleen Reneau, Susan and Timothy McConahay. Grandfather of 15. Great-grandfather of eight.
MENESST, Ronald, 68, St. Anne, New Castle, Sept. 1. Father of Kelly Eaton.
MERCIER, Patricia A., 76, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, Aug. 21. Wife of William Mercier. Mother of Rhonda Glenn, Kimberly Holmes, Julie Smith, Jeannette VanWinkle, Billy Cornwell and Keith Smith. Sister of Mary Ann Linder. Grandmother of 17. Great-grandmother of five.
MONDRUSH, Gustave, Jr., 85, St. Anne, New Castle, Aug. 26. Husband of Lila Mondrush. Father of Louise Davies, Karen Fink, Virginia Martin, Judy Schultz and Steven Mondrush. Brother of Doris Kutch and Ronald Mondrush. Grandfather of 12.
NIEHOFF, Marjorie A., 77, St. Mary, Rushville, Sept. 8. Wife of Paul Niehoff. Mother of Rebecca Heim, Melinda Mahan, Cindy Richter and Alan Niehoff. Sister of Nancy Grocox and Danny Warrick. Grandmother of eight. Great‑grandmother of five.
O’BRIAN, Vivian R., 90, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Sept. 6. Mother of Mary Pat McKee, Alice and Mike O’Brian. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of five.
PFLUM, Robert, 79, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Sept. 6. Husband of Lona Pflum. Father of Lisa Snyder and Scott Pflum. Brother of Diane Jones, Marilyn Miles, Carolyn Nutty, David, Lowell, Phillip and Richard Pflum. Grandfather of three.
PRICKEL, Anthony D., 76, St. Louis, Batesville, Sept. 13. Father of Gayla, Chris and Scott Prickel. Brother of Emma, Katie and Larry Prickel. Grandfather of seven.
ROBERTS, James R., 71, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, Sept. 6. Husband of Lynn Roberts. Brother of Monica Folske, Terry Nelson and Catherine Smith. Uncle of several.
SCOTT, Rose (Vissing), 86, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, Aug. 30. Mother of Teresa Natterman, Dee Dee Webb, Marty and Rick Scott. Sister of Mary Catherine Young. Grandmother of seven. Great‑grandmother of six.
SMITH, Wanda, 78, St. Anne, New Castle, Aug. 23. Mother of Natalie Shaw and Lisa Thomas. Grandmother of five. Great‑grandmother of seven.
WAGNER, Michael S., 68, Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, Sept. 7. Husband of Rosanna Wagner. Father of Angela Halliburton and David Wagner. Brother of Karen Edwards and John Wagner. Grandfather of six. Great‑grandfather of two.
WEBER, David P., 67, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Indianapolis, Sept. 2. Husband of Betty Weber. Father of Aileen Weber, Hugh and Sherman Stephens. Brother of Patty Price and Hugh Weber. Grandfather of six.
WITTLER, Bernice (LaMar), 89, St. Anne, New Castle, Aug. 25. Mother of Lisa Lovell. Sister of Glenn LaMar. Grandmother of three. Great‑grandmother of seven.
ZONKEL, Joseph P., 78, St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington, Sept. 8. Husband of Julieta Zonkel. Father of Mary Rose Pitman, Christine and Joe Zonkel. Brother of Raele Sue Moore and Alan Zonkel. Grandfather of five.
Benedictine Sister Anita Eberle ministered in Catholic parishes and schools throughout central and southern Indiana
Benedictine Sister Anita Eberle, a member of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, died on July 21 at the St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove. She was 71.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 26 at the Monastery Chapel at Our Lady of Grace. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Anita was born on May 14, 1946, in New Albany and grew up as a member of St. John the Baptist Parish in Starlight.
She entered Our Lady of Grace on Sept. 7, 1963, professed first vows on July 4, 1964, and perpetual vows on June 21, 1970.
Sister Anita earned a bachelor’s degree in education at the former St. Benedict College in Ferdinand, and a master’s degree in religious studies at Marygrove College in Detroit. She also studied spiritual direction at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.
During her 53 years of vowed religious life, Sister Anita ministered in Catholic education for seven years in schools in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. She later served for 26 years in parishes in central and southern Indiana as a director of religious education and pastoral associate.
In the archdiocese, Sister Anita taught at St. Pius X School in Indianapolis from 1967-69 and 1971-74, and at St. Anthony of Padua School in Clarksville from 1969-71. In parish ministry in the archdiocese, she served in Indianapolis at St. Barnabas Parish from 1974-78, the former St. Catherine of Siena and St. James parishes from 1981-86 and from 1991-92, St. Matthew the Apostle Parish from 1986-91 and at the former Holy Trinity Parish from 1993-2000. Sister Anita also ministered at the former St. Joseph Parish in St. Leon from 1978-79 and at the former St. Joseph Parish in Clark County from 1979-81.
Sister Anita is survived by her sisters Donna Hoying of Centerville, Ohio, and Marie Kaufman, Diana Owens and Marilyn Shumate, all of New Albany, and her brothers, Jim Eberle of Louisville, Ky., Larry Eberle of Fort Wayne, Ind., Paul Eberle of Greenville, Ind., and Tom Eberle of Floyds Knobs.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Retired Sisters’ Fund, in care of Our Lady of Grace Monastery, 1402 Southern Ave., Beech Grove, IN 46107 or online at www.benedictine.com. †