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)

ATWOOD, Joanna M., 28, St. Mary, Lanesville, March 18. Daughter of Joanne and Anthony Atwood, Sr. Sister of Amanda, Anthony Jr., and Michael Atwood. Granddaughter of Kathryn Ryan. Aunt of several.

BAUR, Gary L., 70, St. Paul, Tell City, March 19. Husband of Yvonne Baur. Father of Emily Micena, Geoff and Greg Baur. Brother of Gladys Ann Couey, Paula Jo Leclere and Sandra Smith. Grandfather of five. Step‑grandfather of one.

BIERLEIN, Ronald L., 82, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, March 16. Husband of Janet Bierlein. Father of Jennifer Mosier, Susan, Andrew and Thomas Bierlein. Brother of Kenneth Bierlein. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of six.

BOTT, Rita J., 71, St. Mary, North Vernon, March 2. Wife of John Bott. Mother of David, Patrick and Scott Bott. Grandmother of five.

BUCHANAN, Sherre, 61, St. Jude, Indianapolis, March 10. Wife of Walter Buchanan. Mother of Amy Shepherd. Stepmother of David Buchanan. Sister of Flash Williams. Grandmother of three. Step-grandmother of two.

CARLSON, Janice K., 54, St. Louis, Batesville, March 14. Wife of Terry Carlson. Sister of Julie Jackson, LuAnn Zeszut, Jim, Ken, Randy and Russ Wanstrath. Aunt and great-aunt of several.

DEBOO, Margaret N., 90, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, March 9. Mother of Kathleen North, Joan O’Donnell, John and Terrance DeBoo. Grandmother of four. Great‑grandmother of five. Great-great-grandmother of one.

FARISH, Dorothy, 80, St. Mary, New Albany, March 10. Mother of Joletta Hall, Tina Thompson and Chuck Farish. Grandmother of five.

HARR, Gerald W., 83, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, March 11. Husband of Sonja Harr. Father of Tracy Barnes, Francine Burge, Susan Johnson, Andrew and Michael Harr. Grandfather of seven.

HORTEMILLER, Catherine E., 78, St. Louis, Batesville, March 19. Wife of Jim Hortemiller. Mother of Lisa Wallpe and Gregory Hortemiller. Sister of Cornelia Hoffman and Eleen Weisenbach. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of three.

KOCHER, Alice J. (Walpole), 95, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, March 17. Mother of Peggy Allen, Ann Mader, Kathy Ripperger, Jean Waugh and Robert Kocher. Grandmother of 14. Great‑grandmother of 33. Great-great-grandmother of two.

LANKERT, Norman E., 89, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, March 17. Father of Cindy Andres, Mindy Ernstberger, Tish Tindall, David and Michael Lankert. Brother of Mack O’Brien, Jr. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of 16.

PLANK, Pauline, 84, St. Jude, Indianapolis, March 13. Mother of Karen, Jeffrey and Timothy Plank. Grandmother of four. Great‑grandmother of 10.

SCHROEDER, Justin R., 81, St. Mary, Rushville, March 16. Husband of Marilyn Schroeder. Father of Sally Adams, Andrew, Greg and Ken Schroeder. Brother of Teresa Horan and Catherine Mauer. Grandfather of seven. Great‑grandfather of two.

SHAFFSTALL, Timothy D., 66, St. Monica, Indianapolis, March 11. Husband of Cheri Shaffstall. Father of Nicole Shaffstall. Brother of Everett, Fred and Tony Shaffstall.

SHOTTS, Timothy B., 64, St. Roch, Indianapolis, March 19. Father of Amanda Grimm and Bryan Shotts. Son of Meredith and Jean Shotts. Brother of Carol Farnsworth, Mary, Jim and Mike Shotts. Grandfather of three.

SMITH, Farrell G., 81, Christ the King, Indianapolis, March 10. Husband of Diane Carpenter. Father of Susie Holtz, Lori Stephens, Scott Carpenter, Lorie, Kevin and Steve Smith. Grandfather of 18. Great-grandfather of seven.

VAN BREE, Jeanne M., 74, St. Michael, Bradford, March 8. Wife of Frank Van Bree. Mother of Julie Book, Anne Cristiani, Mary Groher, Michelle Harkness, Barb Rainbolt, Bill, Frank, Joe, Ken and Mike Van Bree. Sister of Jacque Maxwell, John Bullock and Tom Clarke. Grandmother of 41. Great‑grandmother of seven.

WEBER, Clara M. (Rosner), 89, Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, March 6. Mother of Mary Ann Maloy, Cecelia Owens, Catherine, Joseph, Matthew, Peter and Thomas Weber. Sister of Alice Huffman, Dorthea Zore and Joseph Rosner. Grandmother of 16. Great‑grandmother of 13.

YOUNGSTAFEL, Mary M., 90, St. Roch, Indianapolis, March 11. Mother of Rose Lumpkin, Anne Thompson, Mary, Carl, Lawrence, Mark and Richard Youngstafel, Jr. Sister of Ethel Spacke. Grandmother of 16. Great‑grandmother of five.

Providence Sister Rose Marita Riordan served in Catholic education for 49 years

Providence Sister Rose Marita Riordan died on March 19 at Lourdes Hall at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 95.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 24 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Margaret Mary Riordan was born on May 2, 1921, in Chicago. She entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Jan. 5, 1939, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1947.

Sister Rose Marita earned a bachelor’s degree at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a master’s degree at Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

During her 78 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Rose Marita ministered in education for 49 years in schools in California, Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.

In the archdiocese, Sister Rose Marita served in Indianapolis at the former St. John the Evangelist School from 1941-47 and the former St. Bridget School from 1954-60, in her community’s Motherhouse Health Care from 1970-76, as a counselor for the community from 1976-77, at Woods Day Care/Pre-School in St. Mary-of-the-Woods from 1991-2006 and at Providence Spirituality and Conference Center at the motherhouse from 2006-17.

She is survived by two sisters, Alice Jenkinson of Cary, Ill., and Eileen Quinn of Walpole, Mass., and a brother, Bill Riordan of LaGrange Park, Ill.

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. †