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)

AMBERGER, George F., 94, St. Louis, Batesville, Nov. 5. Father of John Amberger. Brother of Bernard Amberger. Grandfather of three. Step-grandfather of two. Great-grandfather of four.

BAYS, Janice, 83, St. Joseph, Corydon, Nov. 10. Mother of Jolene Downs, Jaime, Jay and John Bays, Jr. Sister of JoAnn Jeffries, June King, Jean and Jeffrey Vaughn. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of 13.

BULACH, Antoinette, 100, St. Peter, Brookville, Sept. 30. Mother of Dorothy Frensemeier and Joe Bulach. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of 12.

CAMPBELL, Marilyn A., 77, St. Ann, Jennings County, Nov. 8. Wife of William Campbell. Mother of Amy Henderson and Brad Campbell. Sister of Janet Campbell, Patty Cardinal, Kathy Hurley, Linda Kovacich, Joann Wernke, Bill, Philip and Tony Daeger. Grandmother of three.

DEAK, Judith A., 84, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Oct. 18. Mother of Jane Jennings, Laurie, Dan, Michael and Paul Deak. Sister of Rosie Padgett and Basil Pflumm. Grandmother of 17. Great-grandmother of nine.

DELL, William M., 67, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Nov. 6. Brother of Coleen Silvergerg, Nick, Rob and Tom Dell.

DREWES, Jean Marie, 90, St. Michael, Brookville, Oct. 31. Mother of Deborah Kaiser, Diane, David and Stephen Drewes. Sister of Florence Lunsford, Ohmer, Jr., Orville and Virgil Kunkel. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of eight.

ELLIOTT, Patricia M. (Throw), 89, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Indianapolis, Nov. 3. Mother of Mary Hasty, Daniel II, Michael, Timothy and William Elliott. Grandmother of 20. Great-grandmother of several.

FREIBERGER, Eugene A., 94, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Nov. 1. Father of Janice, Brent, Lane, Mark and Philip Freiberger. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of 16.

GAYNOR, Ruth M., 97, All Saints, Dearborn County, Nov. 10. Mother of Mary Jane Stuerenberg, Dennis, Jake, John and Ronald Gaynor. Sister of Ellen Bulach, Joan Hoffmeier and Betty Ripperger. Grandmother of 18. Great-grandmother of several.

GOLDSMITH, Arthur F., 96, St. Louis, Batesville, Nov. 8. Father of Connie Bowman, Cathy Laugle, Carla Oesterling, Carin Walsman, Jim, Joe and John Goldsmith. Grandfather of 21. Great-grandfather of 33.

HOUSEWORTH, Richard E., 84, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Oct. 31. Husband of Joyce Houseworth. Father of Rhonda Barnett, David and Marshall Houseworth. Brother of Ramona Penland. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of 10.

HUTCHINSON, Kevin J., 60, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Oct. 21. Brother of Ellen Gwinn, Gail, James and Robert Hutchinson. Uncle and great-uncle of several.

JARBOE, Henry C., 90, St. Paul, Tell City, Nov. 11. Father of Cathy Hammack, Dale, Jeff, Mike Jarboe. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather of several.

JENDREK, John, 86, St. Mary, Mitchell, Sept. 21. Husband of Diane Jendrek. Father of Diane Elliott. Stepfather of Chris, Daniel and Michael McCrory. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of four.

KARBOWSKI, Donald W., 90, St. Louis, Batesville, Oct. 31. Father of David, Michael and Thomas Karbowski. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of six.

MCGOWAN, Hugh, 79, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Nov. 7. Husband of Jeanmarie McGowan. Father of Mary Ellen Landry, Hugh and Mike McGowan. Brother of Mary Beth Crossin and Bill McGowan. Grandfather of five.

MEYER, Gregory T., 67, Holy Family, Oldenburg, Nov. 3. Brother of Mary Moorman, Janet Rehberger, Shirley Rennekamp, Harold and John Meyer. Uncle of several.

MURPHY, Brian D., 52, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Nov. 1. Husband of Tracy Murphy. Father of Emma and Liam Murphy. Son of Judy Murphy. Brother of Maureen Lopp, Nora Schmutte, Dan and Kevin Murphy.

OBERTING, Barbara K., 68, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Oct. 21. Wife of Kenneth Oberting. Mother of Michelle, Toni and Kenny Oberting. Sister of Eileen Yeakley. Grandmother of three.

PONGRACZ, Margaret M., 85, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Nov. 6. Mother of Denise Langhenry, Phillip and William Pongracz. Sister of Theresa and Tom Wontorek. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of two.

RICHARDSON, Elizabeth J. (Deatrick), 79, St. Joseph, Corydon, Nov. 10. Mother of Lisa and Marc Richardson. Sister of Patricia Grismore, Teresa King, Juanita Krough, Janice Lind and Ron Deatrick. Grandmother of two.

SPETH, Thomas, 84, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Oct. 13. Husband of Edith Speth. Father of Lisa Delaney, Darleen Kahl, Ginger Macy, Theresa Smith, Michelle Strack, Kevin Cauble and Tom Speth. Brother of Angie Egan and David Speth. Grandfather of 24. Great-grandfather of 42.

WALKER, Walt, 95, Prince of Peace, Madison, Nov. 6. Father of Shirlee Clevenger. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of seven.

WUESTEFELD, Nathan A., 71, St. Peter, Franklin County, Oct. 23. Husband of Judy Wuestefeld. Father of Tina Werner and Tim Wuestefeld. Brother of Clarice Conroy, Connie Lattire and Lois Lunsford. Grandfather of three.

Providence Sister Loretta Picucci ministered in education, served the poor

Providence Sister Loretta Picucci, a member of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, died on Nov. 9 at Mother Theodore Hall on the campus of her religious community’s motherhouse. She was 82.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Nov. 21 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Sister Loretta was born on June 23, 1941, in Chicago. She entered the Sisters of Providence on Sept. 12, 1964, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1967.

Sister Loretta earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin at Loyola University Chicago in Chicago.

During her 59 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Loretta ministered in Catholic schools for 14 years in Illinois, Indiana and Washington, D.C. She later committed herself to serving in California, Illinois and Mississippi in such ministries as day care, teaching English as a second language and Hispanic ministry.

Sister Loretta retired to the motherhouse in 2018, where she dedicated herself entirely to prayer.

In the archdiocese, she served at the former St. Mary-of-the-Woods School from 1967-68, the former Holy Cross Central School from 1977-81 and Providence Retirement Home in New Albany.

Sister Loretta is survived by a sister, Josephine Mooney of Pittsburgh.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence, 1 Sisters of Providence Road, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. †