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)

ABLE, Rita Helen (Meyer), 83, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, April 5. Mother of Patricia Schmalz, Marianne, Donald, Dr. David, Dr. Kenneth, Martin and Richard Able. Grandmother of 16. Great-grandmother of two.

BATTISTA, Larry Sr., 57, St. Andrew, Richmond, April 6. Husband of Vivian Battista. Father of Gary and Larry Battista. Son of Catherine Battista. Brother of Debbie Williams, Diana and Vicki Battista. Grandfather of two. Step-grandfather of one.

BAUMANN, Raymond Louis, 78, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, April 15. Husband of Estella (Keck) Baumann. Father of Donna Lukach, Rochelle Mourglia, David, Carl, Charlie and Ken Baumann. Stepfather of Debra Brickley, Pamela Nihiser, Billie Jean Wilson and Tony Keck. Brother of Ruth Kunkel. Grandfather of 10. Step-grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of two. Step-great-grandfather of seven.

BOGGS, William C., 75, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, April 5. Husband of Bernice (Picolo) Boggs. Father of Kimberly Wilson, James, Keith and William Boggs. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of seven.

BOLTE, Lawrence, 82, St. Joseph, St. Leon, March 19. Husband of Loretta Bolte. Father of Barbara Root, Margery Ru, Joyce Munchel and Father Thomas Bolte. Grandfather of 10.

DOWNEY, Agnes Mary, 84, April 7. Wife of Jack Downey. Mother of Pamela Hanna. Grandmother of five.

FLANNAGAN, Dolores, 84, St. Paul, Tell City, March 25. Mother of Coleen Jacobsen, Maura Watson, Dr. Duane, Dr. Mark, Dr. Michael and Phil Flannagan. Sister of Carol Matheis and Levanis Ernst. Grandmother of 19. Great-grandmother of six.

HUBLAR, Cecelia, 89, Holy Family, New Albany, April 3. Wife of Chester Hublar. Mother of Theresia Ordner and Robert Hublar. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of five.

KIRCH, David M., 57,

St. Pius X, Indianapolis, April 3. Husband of Gwendolyn (Stuart) Kirch. Father of Andrew and Thomas Kirch. Brother of Alma Holloran, Shirley McElhiney and John Kirch Jr. Grandfather of one.

KRUKEMEIER, Richard C., 84, Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, March 31. Father of Linda Devine, Julie Pollack, Kathy Sharp, Barbara, James and Richard Krukemeier. Brother of Frances Abraham and Donald Krukemeier. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of 12.

LECLERE, Evelyn, 89, St. Paul, Tell City, April 2. Mother of Mary Daum, Dolores Goffinet, Rita Jo Holtzman, Jean Schulthise, Bernard, Jim, John and Rick Leclere. Grandmother of 33. Great-grandmother of 36. Great-great-grandmother of three.

LITMER, Juanita E., 71, St. John, Enochsburg, April 10. Mother of Angela Meyer, Kim Vance, Melissa, Curt and Michael Litmer. Sister of Jane Harmeyer, Mary Maple, Helen Metcalf, Jill Wolf and Bill Hildebrand. Grandmother of nine.

McGUIRE, Mary R., 61, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, April 7. Wife of Robert McGuire. Mother of Sherry Smith and Robert McGuire. Sister of Helen Ellis, Marcella Flint and Harold Dant. Grandmother of six.

SAWCHUK, Eva Clare Marie, 90, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, March 20. Mother of Carol Hacker and Dr. Alan Sawchuk. Grandmother of five.

SHAFER, John W., 74, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, April 8. Husband of Maxine Shafer. Father of Jill Hengen, Kathleen Hults, Chris and Phillip Shafer. Brother of Edward, George, Gerald and Thomas Shafer. Grandfather of five.

SHIELDS, Joseph Montgomery, 22, St. Mary, Greensburg, April 6. Son of Monty and Kathy (Burkhart) Shields. Brother of Jacob and Joshua Shields. Grandson of Carl and Elizabeth Burkhart and Montgomery and Marianne Shields.

SPENCER, Naomi, 89, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Indianapolis, March 19. Mother of Betty Hesselton, Joseph and Robert Spencer. Sister of Sue Hunsaker. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of 14. Great-great-grandmother of three.

TRIPLETT, William H., 85, Holy Family, New Albany, March 21. Husband of Barbara Triplett. Father of Kathy Futral, Keith and Steve Triplett. Brother of Martha Anderson and John Triplett.

VOLZ, John T., Sr., 68, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, March 28. Father of Fern Calvert, Loren Dugger, John Jr. and Kevin Volz. Brother of Ann Euliss, Margaret Mary Piers, Alfred, David and Steve Volz. Grandfather of six.

WALKER, Patricia, 83, Holy Family, Richmond, April 1. Mother of Patty Nedell, Mary, James, Paul and Tom Walker. Sister of Mary Battisfore, Neil and Robert Putnam. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of two.

WERNER, Jacqueline Marie, 80, St. Luke, Indianapolis, March 18. Sister of Barbara DeMaise, Jo Ellen Forestal, Marilyn May and Donald Werner.

WILLIAMS, Louis, 93, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, March 12. Father of Carol McQuilkin, David and John Williams. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of 11.

WITTE, F. John, 84, St. Mary, Richmond, March 25. Father of Bernadette Gross, Yvonne Rudicil and Shaun Witte. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of nine.

Franciscan Sister Mary Grace Plumbo served as a teacher and sacristan

Franciscan Sister Mary Grace Plumbo, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of Oldenburg, died on March 20 in St. Louis. She was 77 and would have celebrated her 60th jubilee as a Franciscan in July.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 27 at the motherhouse chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery there.

The former Geneva Ann Plumbo was born on April 6, 1929, in Middletown, Ohio.

She entered the Oldenburg Franciscan community on Sept. 8, 1947, and professed her first vows on Aug. 12, 1953.

Sister Mary Grace taught at Catholic grade schools for 58 years and also served as a parish sacristan.

In the archdiocese, she served as a teacher and sacristan at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Indianapolis, St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Indianapolis and St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Aurora.

She also served as a teacher and sacristan at St. Anthony Parish in Evansville, Ind., in the Evansville Diocese, as well as at Catholic schools in St. Louis for the last 45 years.

Surviving are two brothers, Joseph and Anthony Plumbo of Middletown, Ohio, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036. †