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)

BAKER, Joan, 92, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Jan. 26. Aunt and great-aunt of several.

CONNOLLY, Claire A., 88, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Jan. 28. Mother of Mary Baumer, Patti Connolly-Bedwell, Kathleen Hagemeier and Susan Wolf. Sister of Evelyn Griffin and Robert Hopkins. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of three.

COPELAND, Betty F., 95, Prince of Peace, Madison, Jan. 27. Wife of F. Wood Copeland. Mother of Jane Blair, Carter, Mark and Robert Copeland. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of seven.

DECRAENE, Geraldine A., 87, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Jan. 23. Wife of Robert Decraene. Mother of Diane Brown, Suzanne Fore, Daniel, James, Michael and Robert Decraene. Grandmother of 14. Great-grandmother of four.

DIETZ, Ralph B., 89, Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, Jan. 29. Father of Maureen Klekar, Janice Self and Kathy Westerfield. Brother of Thomas Dietz. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of nine.

GESWEIN, Joseph H., 97, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, Jan. 22. Father of Fred Geswein. Brother of Marie Huth and Francis Geswein. Grandfather of two. Great-grandfather of one.

GIUFFRE, Lucille, 87, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jeffersonville, Jan. 22. Mother of Melanie Collins, Dawn Smith, Laurianne, Corey, Keith and Kyle Giuffre. Sister of Marie Giuffre and Louie Castagliola. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of two.

GORE, Patricia A., 73, St. Vincent de Paul, Bedford, Dec. 19, 2020. Mother of Rebecca Godsey, James, John and Thomas Gore. Stepmother of Jeff Gore. Sister of Julia Dawkins. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of one.

GOYERT, Marian A., 97, St. Louis, Batesville, Jan. 24. Sister of Gerri Wintz. Aunt, great-aunt and great-great-aunt of several.

HALL, Benjamin, 32, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Jan. 25. Husband of Dimple Hall. Father of Oliver Hall. Son of Gordon and Teresa Hall. Brother of Alex and Jared Hall. Grandson of Luella Bogenschutz.

HARNETT, Jane T., 84., St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington, Jan. 25. Mother of Kathleen Barker, Cary, Christopher and Kevin Harnett. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of two.

HOLLAND, C. Warren, 93, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, Nov. 23, 2020. Husband of Hellen Holland. Father of Gretchen Etling, Cecil Hanley, Dan and Mike Holland. Grandfather of 14. Great-grandfather of four.

HOLTKAMP, Adam J., 34, St. Mary, Greenburg, Jan. 27. Husband of Jamie Holtkamp. Father of Lennon Holtkamp. Son of Dennis and Joyce Holtkamp. Brother of Lisa Kreuzman. Grandson of Ella Mae Holtkamp.

HOPP, James J., 88, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Jan. 22. Husband of Bernice Hopp. Father of Theresa Stark, Jeffrey and Michael Hopp. Brother of Barbara Curtis and John Hopp. Grandfather of two.

HOTTOIS, Regina L. (Pflanz), 47, Holy Family, New Albany, Jan. 22. Wife of Ryan Hottois. Mother of Sophia and Gavin Hottois. Sister of Allison Kelly and Rick Pflanz.

KENNETT, Alexander, 14, Prince of Peace, Madison, Jan. 30. Son of Bobby and Mary Kennett. Brother of Lillian, Montana, Daniel, Gabe, Hunter, Tyler and Walker Kennett. Grandson of Pete Gross.

KNIGHT, Christine, 94, St. Malachy. Brownsburg, Jan. 27. Mother of Mary Hornbuckle, Margaret Leap, Jean Raney, John and Paul Knight. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of 18.

KONRAD, Nancy D., 81, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Jan. 27. Wife of Jerry Konrad. Mother of Kara Gin, Mike and Tim Konrad. Grandmother of four.

LUX, Patricia A., 84, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Jan. 30. Mother of Christy Ayers, Bobby and Ronny Lux. Sister of Bill Stamm. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of four.

MCADAMS, Doris E., 77, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Jan. 22. Mother of Traci Corns, Teri Sherman and Troy McAdams. Sister of Linda Bradley, Tina Lewis, Rogeann Lewis-Sanchez and Cathy Stowe. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of two.

MORRIS, Betty Ray (Delaisse), 83, St. Paul, Tell City, Jan. 25. Mother of Gayla Goetz, Ginger and Dean Morris. Sister of Janice Davis and Lynda Gordon. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of four.

MULL, Connie E., 50, St. Francis Xavier, Henryville, Jan. 26. Wife of Craig Mull. Mother of Cassidy and Carson Mull. Daughter of Gary and Mary Liz Cooper. Stepdaughter of Betty Hayes. Stepsister of Tony Lewis. Granddaughter of Gladys Cooper.

MURPHY, Mary Anne, 81, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Jan. 25. Wife of Don Murphy. Mother of Theresa Page, Mark and Mike Murphy. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of 13.

POPP, James C., 89, St. John Paul II, Sellersburg, Jan. 25. Husband of Juanita Popp. Father of Mary Lou Adams, Laura Frey, Diane Graf and Alan Popp. Brother of Barbara Beaven, Joan Renn, Esther Wheatley, Kenneth, Maurice, Merlin and William Popp. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of 16.

RICHARDSON, Martin E., 80, Most Precious Blood, Middletown, Jan. 30. Husband of Elizabeth Richardson. Father of Lisa and Marc Richardson. Brother of Leland, Ronald and Russell Richardson. Grandfather of two.

STAPP, Charles, 72, Holy Family, New Albany, Jan. 24. Husband of Dr. Emily Stapp. Father of Jennifer Stapp Sparks, Alex, Dr. David and Terry Stapp. Grandfather of 10.

STENGER, Earl J., 93, All Saints, Dearborn County, Jan. 28. Father of Susan Dietz, Christy Eckstein, Andrea Hartman, Sandy Whitehead, Earl, Jr., Jeff, John and Mike Stenger. Brother of Joan Oesterling and Jake Stenger. Grandfather of 22. Great-grandfather of 21.

STEVENS, Phyllis, 90, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, Jan. 25. Mother of Sheri Jeffers, Vicki, James II and Thomas Stevens. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of six.

STEWART, Mark W., 51, Prince of Peace, Madison, Jan. 23. Father of Abigail and Zachary Stewart. Son of Michael L. Stewart. Brother of Mike Stewart.

STILLER, Kenneth R., 88, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyd County, Jan. 28. Husband of Marilyn Wheatley Stiller. Father of Terri Canning, Jodi Meier and Tony Stiller. Brother of Vonda Morgan. Grandfather of six.

tekulve, William F., 63, St. Louis, Batesville, Jan. 25. Husband of Helen Tekulve. Father of Miranda, Darrin and Dustin Tekulve. Brother of Bev Wehr, Steve Spencer and Jon Tekulve. Grandfather of three.

THOMAS, Waverly, 93, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Jan. 27. Mother of Michael Thomas.

VARBLE, Stephen M., 84, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, Jan. 29. Father of Stephanie, Christopher, Patrick and Travis Varble. Grandfather of one.

WATSON, Bernard, 85, St. Barnabas, Jan. 28. Father of Carol and Thomas Watson.

WHITTEN, Mary Ann, 64, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Jan. 28. Wife of Phillip Whitten. Mother of Amy Whitten. Daughter of Alice Springman. Sister of Chuck and Mike Springman. Grandmother of one.

Providence Sister Ruth Ellen Doane served in Catholic schools for 36 years

Providence Sister Ruth Ellen Doane, a member of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, died on Feb. 5 at Gibson Family Center for Hospice Care in Terre Haute. She was 84.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a virtual funeral service was held on March 1. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Sister Ruth Ellen was born on April 19, 1936, in Jasper, Ind. She entered the Sisters of Providence on Jan. 4, 1954, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1961.

Sister Ruth Ellen earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, a master’s degree in mathematics at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and a master’s degree in theology at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad.

During her 67 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Ruth Ellen ministered as a music teacher for 36 years in schools in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts and at the American International School in Dusseldorf, Germany. In 1993, she began serving in parishes, first in Ferdinand, Ind., and then in Iowa. From 2007-16, she volunteered in Indianapolis in several ministries of her religious community. In 2016, Sister Ruth Ellen returned to the motherhouse where she assisted at the Providence Spirituality and Conference Center. Beginning in 2020, she dedicated herself entirely to prayer.

In the archdiocese, Sister Ruth Ellen served at the former St. Patrick School in Indianapolis from 1961-68 and at Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville from 1970-77.

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 Suzanne Smith served as an educator, in business office of her order

Providence Sister Suzanne Smith, a member of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, died on Feb. 3 at Mother Theodore Hall on the campus of her religious community’s motherhouse. She was 86.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a virtual funeral service was held on Feb. 22. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Sister Suzanne was born on Feb. 26, 1934, in Washington, D.C. She entered the Sisters of Providence on Jan. 30, 1954, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1961.

Sister Suzanne earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, a master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana and a master’s degree in business administration at Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

During her 67 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Suzanne ministered as a teacher for 20 years in schools in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C. In 1977, she began serving in the general business office at the motherhouse. After retiring from that office, Sister Suzanne volunteered in several offices at the motherhouse and at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

In the archdiocese, Sister Suzanne served at the former Ladywood School in Indianapolis from 1959-65; at the motherhouse as a business office assistant from 1977-79, as comptroller from 1982-93, director of finance from 1993-99 and the coordinator of the Our Lady of Providence Shrine from 2006-14; and at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College as an administrative assistant and adjunct instructor from 2001-03.

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. †