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)
BRYANT, Michael D., 67, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, Jan. 3. Husband of Maureen Bryant. Father of Karen Shepherd, Donna Petri, Anthony, Dale, Daniel, David, Mark and Matthew Voignien. Son of Anne Bryant. Brother of James and William Bryant. Grandfather of 21. Great-grandfather of seven.
EARLYWINE, Jeanette, 79, St. Mary, Richmond, Dec. 18. Mother of Phillip Earlywine, Mike, Steve and Tim Burge. Stepmother of Judith Babin, Donna Owens and Michael Earlywine. Sister of Suzy Peacock, Greg and Rusty Gerken. Grandmother and great-grandmother of several.
FISCHER, Jeanne, 80, St. Paul, Tell City, Dec. 26. Wife of Lee Fischer. Mother of Carrie Lucas, Barry, Clark and Tobie Fischer. Sister of Betty Rogier, Debbie Williams and Richard Lorenz. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of four.
GILLMAN, Georgene, 90, St. Michael, Brookville, Dec. 16. Wife of Carl Gillman. Mother of Carol Ronnebaum, Rose Hughes, Annette, Mary Ellen, Franciscan Sister Therese, Carl, Charlie, George, John and Steve Gillman. Sister of Barb and Dr. Paul Hirt. Grandmother of 21. Great-grandmother of 22.
HUFF, Harold H., 83, St. John the Baptist, Osgood, Dec. 23. Husband of Rosella Effing. Father of Sharon Helms, Bill, Kenny and Tom Huff. Brother of Andy and Bernard Huff. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of six.
JOHNSTON, Arless B., Jr., 81, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, Dec. 2. Father of Susan Jones, Nancy, Arless III, David and Gregory Johnston. Grandfather of four.
KUEBEL, Philma, 76, All Saints, Dearborn County, Dec. 3. Mother of Linda Caseltine, Della Graf, Marita McNimery and Maurice Kuebel. Sister of Virginia Back, Rosemary Hountz and Marcella Schutte. Grandmother of three.
LAMPERT, Thomas E., 85, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Dec. 21. Husband of Bernice Lampert. Father of Teresa Lynn and Steven Lampert. Brother of Roseann, James and Jerry Lampert. Grandfather of five.
PLANT, Pearline, 78, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, Dec. 29.
SNEDIGAR, Mary, 86, St. Anne, New Castle, Dec. 21. Mother of Melanie, David and Michael Snedigar. Sister of Helen Singer. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of four.
Benedictine Sister Mary Sylvester Will, 102, religious vows for 85 years
Benedictine Sister Mary Sylvester Will died on Dec. 19, 2014, at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove. She was 102.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Dec. 22 at the Monastery Chapel at Our Lady of Grace. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Loretta Elizabeth Will was born on May 13, 1912, in Poseyville, Ind.
She entered the Benedictine Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Ind., now in the Evansville Diocese, on Sept. 4, 1927. She professed her first vows in 1929 and perpetual vows in 1933.
Sister Mary Sylvester earned a bachelor’s degree from the former St. Benedict College in Ferdinand, and a master’s degree from St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Ind.
She transferred her vows to Our Lady of Grace in 1960, and was a founding member of the monastery.
During her 85 years of vowed religious life, Sister Mary Sylvester ministered in Catholic education for 50 years in schools in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the Diocese of Evansville.
In the archdiocese, she served at the former Assumption School in Indianapolis from 1930-37 and 1949-50, the former St. Paul School in Tell City from 1939-48, the former St. Boniface School in Fulda from 1950-56, the former St. Michael School in Cannelton from 1956-62, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs School in Floyd County from 1962-65, the former St. Michael School in Bradford from 1965-71, in Tell City public schools from 1971-77, at the former St. Columba School in Columbus from 1977-80 and the former St. Mary of the Assumption School in Mitchell from 1980-81.
Beginning in 1981, Sister Mary Sylvester served in pastoral ministry at St. Paul Parish in Tell City until her retirement in 1988. She continued to volunteer with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Indianapolis until she was 99.
Sister Mary Sylvester is survived by nieces and nephews.
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. †