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)
ALLSPAW, Carl L., 84, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, Dec. 10. Husband of Rita Allspaw. Father of Christine Jackson, Kathleen, Carl, David and Steven Allspaw. Grandmother of several.
BAYS, Mary Ann, 91, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Dec. 6. Mother of Elizabeth Dillon, Tina Bays and James Bays. Sister of Dolores Kuhn, Loretta Utterback and Robert Gaither. Grandmother of two.
BELT, Anna L. (Vowels), 85, Prince of Peace, Madison, Nov. 23. Mother of David and Timothy Belt. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of three.
CURSON, Sophie R., 92, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Dec. 2. Mother of Bruce, David, Kevin and Scott Curson. Sister of Frankie. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of nine.
DAY, Brenda, 68, Holy Family, New Albany, Dec. 11. Wife of Stephen Day. Mother of Angela Hurst, Melissa Day and Stephen Day. Grandmother of two.
DEES, Loretta, 84, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Indianapolis, Nov. 26. Mother of Nancy Goottee, Dianne Phillips-Flynn-Burman, Kathy Thompson, and John Dees. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of 14. Great-great-grandmother of two.
GARCIA, Salvador, 57, St. Patrick, Salem, Dec. 5. Husband of Beatriz Salas. Father of Erica Adriana Gracia, Denise Guadalupe Garcia Salas, Fatima Aniceta Garcia and Jesus Garcia Salas. Son of Ramon Garcia. Brother of Delia, Sonia, Filimon and Santos Garcia.
GETZ, Patricia E., 95, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Dec. 16. Wife of Cark Getz Jr. Mother of Kathryn Howard, Jeanne Loughery, Carl III, Robert and William Getz. Sister of Kathryn O’Brien. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of nine.
GRAF, Paul C., 98, Holy Family, New Albany, Nov. 21. Uncle and great-uncle of several.
GRANTZ, Jeanette M., 57, Holy Family, New Albany, Nov. 28. Wife of Kevin Grantz. Mother of Jennifer Howard, Stephon and Stevie Howard and Jalen Grantz. Daughter of Genevieve and John Churchill. Sister of Marc and Myron Churchill. Grandmother of two.
HARTZ, Bernard F., 104, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Nov. 26. Father of Jane Neville, Greg and Tom Hartz. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of 10.
HEID, Helen L., 96, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Dec. 9. Aunt, great-aunt, and great-great-aunt of several.
HILL, Stephen J., 75, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Nov. 29. Husband of Carol Donlan Hill. Father of Kathleen McKee, Karen Hill and Stephen Hill. Grandfather of 7.
HIXSON, Margaret G., 68, St. Luke, Indianapolis, Dec. 13. Wife of Patrick Hixson. Mother of Meghan Grimley, Anne Stewart, Brian, James and Kevin Hixson. Sister of Elizabeth Brennan and Charles Gerler. Grandmother of five.
LANCASTER, Martha, 84, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Dec. 12. Mother of Jane Craig, Donna Liebrandt, Linda Stevens and Ed Lancaster. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of 13.
LEMAIRE, Dallas G., 94, St. Paul, Tell City, Dec. 12. Father of Duane LeMaire. Brother of Millie Harth and Evelyn Weiss. Grandfather of two.
MENDOZA, Jose Eugenio Arias Castro, 47, Prince of Peace, Madison, Dec. 3. Father of Angelina Graham, Cody and Cory Mendoza. Son of J. Eugenio and Rosario Arreola Mendoza Cortez. Brother of Angela, Leticia, Rebecca, Reina, Rita, Veronica, Cruz, Daniel, Javier and Luis. Grandfather of one.
NORTHERNER, Mary M. (Kessans), 91, St. Paul, Tell City, Dec. 10. Mother of Christine Lahee, Rosemary Lasher, Cathy Powers, Anna, Arvin, Paul and Robert Northerner. Grandmother of 22. Great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother of several.
O’CONNELL, Joseph F., Jr., 94, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Dec. 9. Father of Lisa Danhauer, Julie Davies, Eileen Whiting, Joseph, Michael and Paul O’Connell. Brother of Paul O’Connell. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of nine.
OTT, Mary Jane (Bezy), 94, St. Mary of the Annunciation, New Albany, Dec. 2. Mother of Clara Hopper. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 23. Great-great-grandmother of 11. Great-great-great-grandmother of one.
PALMER, Cathy E., 70, SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi, Greenwood, Dec. 4. Wife of John Palmer. Mother of Amy Kallio and Matthew Hooser. Sister of Janice Daily and Daniel Cain. Grandmother of four.
PRESTIGIACOMO, Marie R., 95, Holy Family, New Albany, Dec. 2. Mother of Susan Hallal, Louise Perkins, Allan, Donald, Joseph and Robert Prestigiacomo. Sister of Louise Marks. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of 14. Great-great-grandmother of one.
RACZKOWSKA, Bronislawa S., 101, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Indianapolis, Dec. 8. Sister of four.
ROBERTS, Joseph W., 88, St. Joseph, Corydon, Dec. 16. Husband of Jeanette Roberts. Father of Darryl, Joseph, Ronnie, Stephen and Terry Roberts. Brother of Dolores Starkey and Thomas Roberts. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of 10. Great-great-grandfather of one.
RUSCHMAN, Margaret M., 96, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Dec. 14. Mother of Maureen Friel, Mary Beth Gallagher, Bob and Mark Ruschman. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of three.
THIENEMAN, Jo Ann U., 90, St. Mary of the Knobs, Floyds County, Dec. 18. Mother of Carla Crosby, Rosetta Vance,
Dr. Andrew Thieneman, Jr.
and Daniel Thieneman. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two.
Providence Sister Charles Ellen Turk served in Catholic education for 47 years
Providence Sister Charles Ellen Turk died on Dec. 25 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 101.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Jan. 7 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Mary Cleophas Turk was born on Nov. 5, 1918, in Washington, Ind. She entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Jan. 11, 1936, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1944.
Sister Charles Ellen earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods and a master’s degree in mathematics education at Indiana State University in Terre Haute.
During her 84 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Charles Ellen ministered for 47 years in Catholic schools in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. She later served in administrative roles in her religious community.
In the archdiocese, Sister Charles Ellen served in Indianapolis at the former St. Ann School from 1950-55, at St. Matthew the Apostle School from 1958-61, at the former Ladywood-St. Agnes School from 1973-76, at Roncalli High School from 1976-85 and as a provincial treasurer from 1985-89. At the motherhouse, she served as an assistant in holistic health care from 1989-97.
Sister Charles Ellen continued to assist at the motherhouse in a variety of ways, especially in sewing, until 2008 when she dedicated herself entirely to prayer.
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.
Providence Sister Mary Maxine Teipen ministered in education, administration
Providence Sister Mary Maxine Teipen died on Jan. 5 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 91.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Jan. 10 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial was to follow at the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Mary Maxine was born on Feb. 20, 1928, in Indianapolis where she grew up as a member of St. Roch Parish. She entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Feb. 2, 1946, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1953.
Sister Mary Maxine earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana and a master’s degree in theological studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
During her 74 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Mary Maxine ministered for 21 years in Catholic schools in Illinois and Indiana. She later served in administrative roles and in her religious community.
In the archdiocese, Sister Mary Maxine served at Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville from 1956-59. She also ministered as the treasurer of the Indianapolis-based St. Gabriel Province of her community from 1969-70 and its provincial from 1970-78.
From 1980-81, Sister Mary Maxine served as the vicar for religious for the Diocese of Covington, Ky. She then ministered as the first councilor for the Sisters of Providence, a sister who assists the order’s general superior, from 1981-91. And from 1992-2001, she served as the alumnae relations manager for the community’s office of congregational advancement.
Surviving is a sister, Mary Lou Dunlop of Greenwood.
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. †