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)

ANDREWS, Judith, 76, Sacred Heart, Clinton, Feb. 7. Mother of Erin Stader and Doug Andrews. Sister of JoAnn Vallosia. Grandmother of four.

BATES, Victoria Frances, 20, St. Therese of the Little Flower, Indianapolis, Jan. 31. Daughter of Phlenarrie Bates and Gloria Kramer. Sister of Florine Bates.

BEDEL, Loretta M., 91, St. Anthony, Morris, Feb. 4. Mother of Margarita Case, Betty Frey, Mary Jean Wessel and Richard Bedel. Grandmother of 21. Great-grandmother of 14.

COTNER, Marlene Joan (Meidel), 83, St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington, Feb. 2. Wife of Samuel Cotner. Mother of Rebecca Williams, John, Patrick and Stephen Cotner. Sister of Jerald Meidel. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of 13.

COYLE, Martha E., 87, St. Paul, Tell City, Feb. 5. Mother of Darlene Hoffman, Kay Houghland, Starr Ramsey, Mary Sims, Patti, Dan, Frank and Jim Coyle. Grandmother of 18. Great-grandmother of 38. Great-great-grandmother of 12.

GOODE, Frances Ann, 87, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Feb. 5. Mother of Andrea Frost, Abbe Gray, David, Joe, Josh and Michael Goode. Sister of Marguerite Jorishie, Margaret O’Donnell and Hank Denk. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of four.

GRAVES, Margaret S., 82, Holy Angels, Indianapolis, Feb. 1. Mother of Angela Dickerson, Alicia Graves-Perry, Annie Smith, Aaron, Adrian and Anton Graves. Grandmother of 17. Great-grandmother of 14. Great-great-grandmother of two.

GREEN, Wanda L., 86, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Feb. 1. Mother of Jodie Jerger, Tina Magee, Maria and Brian Green. Sister of Joan Greive, Jacquelyn Johnston and Audrey Luhrsen. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of five.

HEIN, Robert Alan, 80, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Feb. 1. Father of Colista Leiter, Ruth Shupak, Gretchen and Sarah Hein. Grandfather of 10.

KENNY, Thomas Michael, 74, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Feb. 7. Husband of Dorothy Kenny. Father of Brian, Michael, Richard and Scott Kenny. Brother of Paulist Father John Kenny. Grandfather of seven.

KOLBUS, Robert, 78, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Jan. 1. Husband of Barbara Ann (Delp) Kolbus. Father of Lisa Clifford, Karen Ralph, Linda, Stephen and Ted Kolbus. Brother of Patty Jacobs, Kathleen Lantz, and Wayne “Mike” Kolbus. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of one.

LECHER, Daniel P., 78, St. Catherine of Siena, Decatur County, Feb. 6. Husband of Betty Lecher. Father of Don, Jeff and Tim Lecher. Stepfather of Barry, Darrin, Jeff, Scott and Ted Moorman. Brother of Arlene Feldman, Thelma Harpring and Tom Lecher. Grandfather of seven. Step-grandfather of 17. Great-grandfather of four. Step-great-grandfather of five.

MESSER, Kathy (Blackburn), 68, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Jan. 25. Wife of James Messer. Mother of Bryan, Jason and Michael Messer. Grandmother of six.

METZ, Clarence W., Jr., 71, St. Mary, New Albany, Feb. 1. Husband of Anna Metz. Father of Amy Smith, Lisa and Joe Metz. Brother of David Metz. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of two.

NORDHOFF, Donald R., 83, St. Vincent de Paul, Bedford, Feb. 9. Father of Kyle Baxter, Mark and Scott Nordhoff. Grandfather of 16. Great-grandfather of seven.

PANKRATZ, Joan Marie, 75, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Jan. 11. Mother of Michael and Thomas Pankratz. Sister of Beverly Schammel and John Dearmann. Grandmother of five.

RIHM, Walter F., 91, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Cambridge City, Feb. 7. Father of Joanna Schrader, Linda Vance, Elaine, Brian, Donald, Gerald and James Rihm. Brother of Patricia Weiss and William Rihm. Grandfather of 20. Great-grandfather of 22.

SCHMUTTE, Joseph, 81, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Indianapolis, Jan. 28. Husband of Pamela G. Schmutte. Father of Donna Andrew, Douglas and John Schmutte. Stepfather of Richard Holder. Brother of Helen Schell. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of six.

THOMAS, Major General, Joseph A., 86, St. Barnabas, Indianapolis, Feb. 7. Father of Janet Morrison, Jeffrey and Robert Thomas. Brother of Preston, Richard and Steven Thomas. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of four.

TOPPE, Patricia A., 84, St. Ambrose, Seymour, Feb. 8. Mother of Mary Jo Gallion, Victoria, Robert and Timothy Toppe. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of eight.

VAAL, Patricia Ann, 72, St. Meinrad, St. Meinrad, Jan. 30. Wife of Delbert Vaal. Mother of Michelle Pund, Charlotte Rogier, Holly and Michael Vaal. Sister of Bob and David Coyle. Grandmother of five.

VANNOY, Richard Lee, 81, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Feb. 9. Husband of Margaret Anne (Walsh) Vannoy. Father of Kathy Halter, Teri Ward, Kevin, Rick and Steve Vannoy. Brother of Robert Vannoy. Grandfather of 11.

VANZO, Florence M., 85, Our Lady of Lourdes, Indianapolis, Jan. 28. Mother of Suzanne Kobak, Anita Suppiger, Nancy, Bruce, John and Robert Vanzo. Grandmother of 18. Great-grandmother of 15.

WEINMANN, Edward J., 96, St. Mary, New Albany, Feb. 8. Husband of Kathleen Weinmann. Brother of Gertrude Gilmore and George Weinmann.

WELLS, Debra D., 62, St. Mary, Greensburg, Feb. 8. Wife of Karl Wells. Mother of Amber Harris and Andrea Wells. Sister of Connie Lonneman and Bill McKell. Grandmother of three.

WILLIAMS, Thomas Dean, 60, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Dec. 27. Husband of Margie Williams. Father of Laura Lee and Luke Williams. Brother of Betsy, Patsy and Sam Williams. Grandfather of three.

Providence Sister Rosalie Marie Weller ministered as a cook, also in parishes

Providence Sister Rosalie Marie Weller died on Feb. 4 at Mother Theodore Hall at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 103.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 14 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Rose Henrietta Weller was born on Sept. 7, 1911, in Earl Park, Ind.

She entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on July 15, 1934, and professed final vows on Jan. 23, 1942.

During her 80 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Rosalie ministered as a cook for 38 years in convents in California, Illinois, Indiana and Washington, D.C. Beginning in 1975, she began ministering in parishes. In 2001, she returned to the congregation’s motherhouse where she continued to serve in many ways. In 2011, she dedicated herself entirely to prayer.

In the archdiocese, Sister Rosalie Marie ministered at St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis from 1984-2001.

She is survived by nieces and nephews.

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.