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)
BEHR, Catherine M., 97, Prince of Peace, Madison, June 13. Mother of Marjorie Calvert, Marie Hoskins and Mary Catherine Jones. Sister of Mary Frances Krutel. Grandmother of 18. Great-grandmother of 28. Great-great-grandmother of 42.
ALVINA F. BESSLER, 89, Holy Family, Oldenburg, June 17. Mother of Janie Obermeyer, Phyllis Quiroz, Sandra Werner, Bonnie and Michael Bessler. Sister of Betty Spaeth. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of nine. Great-great-grandmother of one.
DENISON, Mary Helen (Waiz), 84, St. Paul, Sellersburg, June 9. Mother of Mary Pat Boone, John and Tom Denison. Sister of Carl and James Waiz. Grandmother of 10.
FLEECE, Dorothy May (Jansing), 83, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, June 14. Mother of Patricia Berger, Sandra Faller, Karen Flynn and William T. Fleece Jr. Sister of Angela Norris and William Jansing. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of 13.
FORSTING, Dolores M., 82, St. John, Enochsburg, June 19. Wife of Leo Forsting. Mother of Mary DeGraw, Linda and John Forsting. Sister of Lorraine Ziegelmeyer. Grandmother of one. Great-grandmother of four.
GAVAGHAN, Elizabeth (Griffin), 84, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, June 7. Wife of Jim Gavaghan. Mother of Pattiann Johnson, Bill, Bob, Dennis and Jim Gavaghan. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of two.
HATFIELD, Joseph, 74, St. Andrew, Richmond, June 10. Husband of Carol Hatfield. Father of Rita Crawford, Teresa Henson, Susan Pulis, Anna Warren and Maria Williams. Brother of Jeannie Ferriell and Jackie McConaha. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of two.
HERMANN, Louis E., 76, St. Mary, Rushville, June 12. Brother of Kathleen Fayhee, Marie Frait, Edith Johnson, Carolyn, Joseph, Leo and Richard Hermann. Uncle of several.
HOLZER, James Cletus, 88, St. John the Baptist, Osgood, June 6. Husband of Rosella Holzer. Father of Patricia Durlacher, Aletha Heaton, Joan Sarringhaur, Marie Strobel, James, John and Mark Holzer. Brother of Rita Cline. Grandfather of 27. Great-grandfather of 53.
KOORS, Paul Edward, 74, St. Mary, Greensburg, June 15. Husband of Sue (Wenning) Koors. Father of Nancy Castle, Kathy Simon, Gary, Ronald and Roger Koors. Brother of Dorothy Ricke. Grandfather of 12. Step-grandfather of four.
MATHIS, Daniel Joseph, 37, Annunciation, Brazil, June 9. Son of Christina Sneddon. Stepson of William Sneddon. Stepbrother of Sam Sneddon. Grandson of Bob and Kathleen Moore.
MINER, Robert E., 84, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, June 12. Husband of Angela (Reuter) Miner. Father of Carolyn Roberts, Janet Schmidt, Dolores Seright, Alan and James Miner. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of three.
SCHOETTELKOTTE, Marlene, 60, St. Peter, Franklin County, June 10. Wife of Charles Schoettelkotte. Mother of Gina Gillman, Andrea Miley, John and Tom Schoettelkotte. Sister of JoAnn Amberger, Mary Lunsford, Franciscan Sister Alice Retzner, John and Louis Retzner. Grandmother of nine.
STEWART, Colleen (Schaler), 38, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Indianapolis, May 30. Mother of Chyla Stewart and Christopher Schaler. Daughter of Kathleen (Lynch) Schaler. Sister of Patrick Schaler. Granddaughter of Lucille (Fritz) Lynch.
SUMMERS, Patricia, 76, St. Anne, New Castle, June 17. Mother of Gerald Armour. Sister of Jerry and Tom Summers. Grandmother of three.
TOFFOLO, Peggy (Durbin), 81, St. Matthew, Indianapolis, June 12. Mother of Carla Kirch, Kathleen, John and Richard Toffolo. Sister of Marilyn Feltman, Joan Gudgel, Phyllis Souviner, Don and Jim Durbin. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of six.
WEISENBACH, Dolores, 77, St. Anthony of Padua, Morris, June 11. Mother of Nancy Knigga, James and Kenneth Weisenbach. Sister of Alberta Bedel, Colleta Prickel and Alfrieda Peters. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of one.
WELAGE, Leonard E., 84, St. Mary, Greensburg, June 14. Father of Marijean Brush. Brother of Marjorie Mahan, Mildred Moeller, Marie Oliger, Edward, Roger and Vincent Welage. Grandfather of two.
WHITE, Joan S., 58, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, June 3. Wife of Thomas H. White. Mother of Holly Brown, Sheila Chandler and Kevin White.
WILHELM, Ron, 63, St. Joseph, St. Leon, June 9. Husband of Cheryl Wilhelm. Father of Rhonda Savage, Renee Vaughan, Jessica Wiedeman, Ashley, Andy and Brad Wilhelm. Son of Angela Wilhelm. Brother of Melissa Baker, Joyce Bittner, Laura DePue, Mary Jane Telles, Marlene Vogelsang, Connie, Dan, David, Jim, Leo Jr., Melvin and Tim Wilhelm. Grandfather of nine.
ZEIHER, Oliver M., 89, St. Matthew, Indianapolis, June 10. Husband of Dorothy Zeiher. Father of Pam Cook, Cordel and Kendall Zeiher. Brother of Bertha Mae McKinster and John Zeiher. Grandfather of eight.
Providence Sister Marian Elizabeth
Moriarty taught for 49 years
Providence Sister Marian Elizabeth Moriarty died on June 9 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 93.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on June 17 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Elizabeth Agnes Moriarty was born on July 29, 1914, in Cicero, Ill.
She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Aug. 21, 1933, professed first vows on Jan. 23, 1936, and professed final vows on Jan. 23, 1941.
Sister Marian Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
During 74 years as a Sister of Providence, Sister Marian Elizabeth ministered as a teacher for 49 years at Catholic grade schools staffed by the sisters in Indiana, Illinois and California.
In Indiana, Sister Marian Elizabeth taught at St. Patrick School in Fort Wayne from 1944-51.
In 1990, she left active ministry but continued to give residential service, first in Illinois then at the motherhouse. In 2006, she began her ministry of prayer full-time at the motherhouse.
Surviving are a sister, Patricia Tuglus of Largo, Fla., and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence, 1 Sister of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. †