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)
ALERDING, William, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, July 6. Husband of Barbara (Williams) Alerding. Brother of Mary Ann Curtis, Patricia Horgan, Louise Masters, Therese Ryan and Leo Alerding.
AULL, Roger J., 96, former member of St. Andrew the Apostle and Our Lady of Lourdes, July 11. Father of Ann Marie, Cathryn, Brian, Denis and Roger Aull. Brother of Jack Aull. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of two.
BELDING, Norma J., 77, St. Mary, North Vernon, July 1. Wife of James Belding. Mother of Tina Richardson, Carla and Brian Belding. Grandmother of seven.
BURTON, Beatrice Barbara, 94, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, June 21. Mother of Bruce, David, James, Robert Jr. and William Burton. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of six.
DEASON, Donald L., 77, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, July 7. Father of Carla Dover, B. Scott, Mark and Michael Deason. Brother of Larry Deason. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of three.
FORD, John Michael, 68, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, July 1. Husband of Carol (Goldschmidt) Ford. Father of Erin D’Antonio, Brian and Terence Ford. Son of John and Louise (Keene) Ford. Brother of Joanne Brezette, Mary Queisser, Jane, Joe and Mike Ford. Grandfather of six.
HARMON, Joseph P., Jr, 81, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, July 12. Husband of Nula (Purichia) Harmon. Father of Julie Ferrucci, Joseph III, Michael and Nicholas Harmon. Brother of Mary Arnold, Judy Baldwin, Joan Luzon and Ann Simms. Grandfather of 10.
KAZAKEVICH, Lillian, 85, Sacred Heart, Clinton, April 27. Aunt of one.
MEADOWS, Laura, 40, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), June 27. Wife of Clinton Meadows. Mother of Rachel and Clint Meadows II. Daughter of Katherine Wood. Sister of David, John and Tim Wood.
MELLEN, Helen, 86, St. Jude, Indianapolis, July 2. Mother of Marilyn Kennedy. Sister of Sylvia and William Nicklas Jr. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two.
MILLER, Melbert, 83, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyds Knobs, July 12. Nephew of one.
MULLIN, Cathline Anne, 76, St. Patrick, Indianapolis, July 10. Mother of Eileen Dietz, Anne O’Connor, Colleen Parker, Daniel, Patrick and Timothy Mullin. Sister of Mary McClelland, Daniel, Francis, James and Patrick Cunningham. Grandmother of nine.
NADERMAN, John A., 63, Immaculate Conception, Millhousen, July 8. Brother of Rose Baur, Jane Reed, Esther Rhuel, Albert, George and Justin Naderman.
NICKLES, Gertrude A., 94, St. Vincent de Paul, Shelby County, July 4. Mother of Kathryn Obermeyer and Robert Nickles. Grandmother of three. Great-grandmother of six.
NOVAK, Joseph H., 66, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Indianapolis, July 8. Husband of Rita Novak. Father of Becky Branstetter, Christine DeWeese and Carrie Maniaci. Son of Joe Novak, Sr. Brother of Diana Antolock, Paul and Terry Novak. Grandfather of eight.
SAURER, Marilyn K., 79, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, July 7. Wife of William Saurer. Mother of Suzanne Gipson and Stephen Saurer. Sister of Bonnie Fulton. Grandmother of three.
SCHUCK, Alice, 64, St. Mary, North Vernon, June 30. Wife of Donald Schuck. Mother of Melissa Wagner, Andrew, Daniel and Kevin Schuck. Sister of Mary Smith. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of two.
SULLIVAN, Margaret A., 86, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, June 28. Mother of Nancy Morrow, Colleen Sullivan and Joanie Tibbetts. Sister of Mary Jane O’Donnell, James and Thomas Nestlebush. Grandmother of three.
TURCHI, Frances, 90, Sacred Heart, Clinton, May 4. Mother of Vicki Brown. Sister of Dillon Radle. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of five.
VERBEECK, Mary Fidelia, 96, St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington, July 3. Mother of Mary Ann Jones and Margaret Mitchell. Sister of Lorraine Michaelsen and Paul Fonteyne. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of two.
VITANIEMI, Margit, 67, Sacred Heart, Clinton, May 5. Mother of Jacqeline Wilburn, Julia and Lisa Bloesing. Sister of Ernestine St. John. Grandmother of two.
WARNS, Norman S., 91, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, July 5. Husband of Dorothy Warns. Father of Susan, Richard and Robert Warns. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of six.
WILSON, John F., 39, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, July 8. Son of John and Betty Jo Wilson. Brother of Laura McKeand.
Providence Sister Rosemary Kluesner served as an educator for 37 years
Providence Sister Rosemary Kluesner died on July 3 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 82.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 11 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Rosemary Kluesner was born on Aug. 20, 1928 in Jasper.
She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence on Jan. 9, 1946, and professed her first vows on Aug. 15, 1948 and professed her final vows on Aug. 15, 1953.
Sister Rosemary earned a bachelor’s degree from
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a master’s degree from Indiana State University in Terre Haute.
During her 65 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered for 37 years in education in Indiana, Illinois and California.
In the archdiocese, Sister Rosemary taught at St. Charles Borromeo School in Bloomington from 1961-64 and 1978-80.
In 1985, Sister Rosemary directed Simeon House II in Terre Haute for five years, after which she lived at Simeon House I and ministered in Catholic Charities and to the sick and elderly in St. Patrick Parish. In 1998, she returned to the motherhouse and served as sacristan. Beginning in 2005, Sister dedicated herself totally to the ministry of prayer.
Surviving is a brother Charles Kluesner.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence,
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, 1 Providence Road,
St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876.
Providence Sister Florence Marie Maxwell ministered in education
Providence Sister Florence Marie Maxwell died on June 30 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 83.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 9 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Florence Maxwell was born on Feb. 11, 1928 in Joliet, Ill.
She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence on July 21, 1946, and professed her first vows on Jan. 23, 1949, and her final vows on Aug. 15, 1954.
Sister Florence Marie earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
During her 65 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered for 48 years in education in Indiana, Illinois and California.
In the archdiocese, Sister Florence Marie taught at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis from 1949-1950.
In 1998, Sister Florence Marie retired from teaching and resided in the Chicago area where she gave service to her sisters. In 2010, she returned to the motherhouse where she dedicated herself totally to the ministry of prayer.
Sister is survived by a sister, Lorraine Martis.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, 1 Providence Road, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876.
Providence Sister David Ellen Van Dyke dedicated life to education
Providence Sister David Ellen Van Dyke died on July 9 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 82.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 14 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Luella Mae Van Dyke was born on March 12, 1929 in Chicago.
She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence on July 24, 1947, and professed her first vows on Jan. 23, 1950, and her final vows on Jan. 23, 1955.
Sister David Ellen earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a master’s degree from Indiana State University in Terre Haute.
During her 64 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered for 43 years in education in Indiana and North Carolina.
In the archdiocese, Sister David Ellen taught at St. Paul School in Sellersburg in 1950, the former St. Andrew School in Indianapolis from 1950-1951, the former Holy Trinity School in New Albany from 1953-1954 and at St. Matthew School in Indianapolis from 1968-72. She served as principal of the former Sacred Heart School in Terre Haute from 1962-68, 1972-79 and 1992-2002 and the former Annunciation School in Brazil from 1979-83.
From 1983-88, Sister David Ellen managed the order’s print shop at the motherhouse. In 1988, she was elected to provincial leadership. After her term she returned to education for 10 more years. She then retired, giving service in a variety of ways. In 2004, Sister dedicated herself totally to the ministry of prayer.
Sister is survived by nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, 1 Providence Road,
St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. †