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)

BAUDER, Joseph F., 85, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, April 2. Father of Ann Haggard, Kathleen Kiemeyer, John and Joseph Bauder. Grandfather of several. Great-grandfather of several.

BURRELLO, Roselynn M., 90, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Indianapolis, April 1. Mother of Joann Bichaukas, Charles and Sam Burrello. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of three.

COUGHLIN, Rose Marie (Slaymon), St. Roch, Indianapolis, April 4. Mother of Linda Morin and William Coughlin. Grandmother of two.

EDMONDS, Herbert Lee, Sr., 83, Holy Family, New Albany, April 1. Husband of Elizabeth (Oberhausen) Edmonds. Father of Lois Rohde, Herb Jr., Mike and Terry Edmonds. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of eight.

ENGLE, Charles W., 87, St. John the Baptist, Starlight, March 5. Husband of Maurice (Missi) Engle. Father of Patricia Cook, Alan, Dennis, Edward, Gary, Larry and Thomas Engle. Brother of Helen Andres, Thelma Bierman and William Engle. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of six.

GAUSE, Fred J., 83, Our Lady of Lourdes, Indianapolis, April 2. Husband of Patricia Gause. Father of Joani Fletcher, Mary Beth Ginther, Kathy Thoman, John, Michael, Steve and Thomas Gause. Grandfather of 26.

GILLON, Janet E., 71, St. Matthew the Apostle, Indianapolis, March 13.

HARDMAN, John David, 55, Annunciation, Brazil, March 30. Brother of Helen Crawford, Mary, Patrick, Robert, Ronald and Walter Hardman. Uncle of several.

HARLAN, Rita W., (Windisch), 75, St. Paul the Apostle, Greencastle, March 19. Wife of John Harlan. Mother of Mark Harlan. Sister of Carolyn Miller. Grandmother of four.

HEALEY, Dr. Robert J., 85, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Indianapolis, March 26. Husband of Ellen (Wagner) Healey. Father of Maura Davenport, Louise Henderson, Ellen Miller, Lenore Schultz, Anne, Bob and Patrick Healey. Grandfather of 16.

KAISER, Stephen J., 52, St. Louis, Batesville, April 2. Father of Shannon Kopcha. Son of Victor Kaiser. Stepson of Juanita Kaiser. Brother of Lisa Kaiser. Stepbrother of Michelle Holmes and Lynn Stires.

LINDGREN, Christopher J., 51, Christ the King, Indianapolis, March 28. Brother of Mary Garrison and Robert Lindgren.

MILLER, Betty M., 82, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, March 23. Mother of Frances Adkins, Rebecca Chandler and Margaret Miller. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of six.

OKULOVICH, Charlene, 73, Annunciation, Brazil, March 29. Mother of Janice Yockey, Barbara, Anthony, James and Michael Okulovich. Sister of Charlotte Anderson, Alice Okulovich, Francis and Richard Rozhon. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of several.

OWEN, Mary E. (Boesing), 87, St. John the Baptist, Starlight, March 9. Mother of Mary Jude Blair, Bette Buechler, Bernie, Nelson III and Thomas Owen. Grandmother of 14. Great-grandmother of 15.

PARENT, Patricia Catherine (Duffin), 78, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, March 25. Wife of Gerald Parent. Mother of Tawn Spicklemire, Alys and Jami Parent. Grandmother of six.

PINELLA, Joseph T., 90, St. Matthew the Apostle, Indianapolis, March 22. Husband of Dottie (Kriplen) Pinella. Father of David, John and Paul Pinella. Grandfather of four.

SPIKES, Jeremy Scott, 2, SS. Francis and Clare, Greenwood, March 21. Son of Stuart Spikes and Allison Wilkins. Brother of Olivia Spikes. Grandson of Dorothy Rowland and Mike and Donna Austgen.

STEMLE, Otto J., Sr., 81, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, March 22. Father of Otto Jr and Rick Stemle. Brother of Irma Hill, Frank and Wayne Stemle. Grandfather of three. Great-grandfather of three.

STOLLE, Thomas, 61, Holy Family, Richmond, March 20. Husband of Mary Anne Stolle. Father of Sarah Roll and Christopher Stolle. Son of Earl and Anna Stolle. Brother of Ronald Stolle. Grandfather of one.

STRONG, Lawrence D., 57, Holy Angels, Indianapolis, March 12. Husband of Regina Strong. Father of Nikki Campbell, Michael Edwards and Sean Strong. Son of Dorothy Strong. Brother of Tonya Mays, Linda Provitt, Cohen McNeil, Bruce Hillman, Valerie, Bennie, Dan Jr., David and Michael Strong. Grand- father of four. Great-grandfather of one.

SWANZ, Kirsten (Collins), 28, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, March 30. Daughter of Peter Swanz III and Margaret (Collins) Swanz. Sister of Jonathan and Dr. Peter Swanz IV.

TOM, Helen Louise, 91, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, March 31. Mother of Richard Tom. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of three.

VOLK, Alice, 75, St. Joseph, St. Leon, March 25. Wife of Paul Volk. Mother of Lisa Allen, Marie Frey, Linda and David Volk. Grandmother of 10.

YAGGI, Robert J., 86, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, March 21. Brother of Marg Hammond, Judy and Dennis Yaggi. †

Robert Alerding was dedicated Church, community volunteer

Robert J. Alerding, a longtime Church and community volunteer, died on April 1 in Indianapolis. He was 89.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on April 7 at St. Matthew the Apostle Church in Indianapolis. Burial followed at Calvary Cemetery in Indianapolis.

He was a charter member of St. Matthew Parish, and had served as the parish sacristan for 35 years.

His many civic and charitable volunteer activities included 23 years of service on the St. Vincent Hospital advisory board.

Alerding also was a co-founder and 40-year board member of The Talbot House, a home for men struggling with alcoholism, in Indianapolis.

For several years, he conducted Catholic prayer services twice a month for prisoners at the Marion County Jail in Indianapolis.

Alerding also served on the board of Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House in Indianapolis and the advisory council for the former Alverna Retreat Center in Indianapolis.

He was a secular member of the Third Order of St. Francis for 58 years.

He also was a past president and 57-year member of the Serra Club of Indianapolis, which fosters vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Alerding also assisted the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

For 14 years, he served as the chairman of the former archdiocesan Pro-Life Activities Advisory Committee.

He earned the rank of fourth degree as a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus.

Alerding also was a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Even after losing his sight in 2000, he served on the board of retirement living and the Catholic chapel committee at Marquette Manor in Indianapolis, where he had resided since 1999.

He was an extraordinary minister of holy Communion for many years, and conducted Communion services at Marquette Manor.

Surviving are five children, Ann Fitch, Margaret Horton, Mary Schaffner, Michael and Robert Alerding, as well as 17 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Augustine Home for the Aged, 2345 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, IN 46260. †