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)
BIERCK, M. Joan, 89, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Nov. 22. Mother of Linda Frazier and Gregory Bierck. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of three.
BOARDMAN, Eric M., 37, Our Lady of Lourdes, Indianapolis, Nov. 12. Father of Austin Boardman. Stepfather of Christopher Dail. Son of John and Patricia Gilliland. Brother of Tina Shepherd, Chris Boardman and Peter Speziale. Grandson of Lucille Morand.
BURKHART, Maurice George, 69, St. Mary, Greensburg, Nov. 25. Brother of Anna Buening, Lucy Meyer, Mary Summers, Dottie and Norman Burkhart.
DENNY, Rosemary, 83, St. Mary, New Albany, Nov. 21. Mother of Kathy Ransdell. Sister of James Steinert. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two.
FAIN, LaVonne, 88, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Nov. 21. Mother of Joyce Renick, David and Gregory Fain. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of six.
GARNER, Jane, 97, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Nov. 5. Mother of Kelly Garner.
GOTTEMOELLER, Charles Joseph, 90, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Nov. 25. Father of Daniel and Timothy Gottemoeller. Brother of Mary Jo Applegate. Grandfather of two.
HARDIN, Lenard Jack, 90, St. Rose of Lima, Franklin, Nov. 11. Husband of Joyce Hardin. Father of Sonia Leerkamp and John Hardin. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of seven.
HOLDAWAY, Eugene, 86, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Nov. 21. Grand-father of three. Great-grandfather of three.
KIRBY, Michael B., 77, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Nov. 12. Father of Kevin Kirby. Grandfather of one. Great-grand-father of one.
LABUS, Theodore H., 85, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Nov. 23. Husband of Eleanor Labus. Father of Mary Teter, Mark, Peter and Theodore Labus. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of three.
LASLEY, Evelyn (Cassidy), 67, St. Paul, Tell City, Nov. 23. Wife of Roy Lasley. Mother of Grover Lasley, Greg and Ronald James. Sister of Alice Cassidy, Carmelite Sister Eulalie Cassidy and James George. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of one.
MANNING, David E., 80, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Nov. 15. Father of Lorinda Chivington and Steven Manning. Grandfather of two.
McLANE, John C., 63, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Nov. 16. Son of Joann McLane. Brother of Beth Ann Clark, David and William McLane.
MILLER, Courtney James, 35, St. Agnes, Nashville, Nov. 20. Father of Reanna and Storm Miller. Son of Susie Adams. Brother of Michelle Lang. Grandson of Mary Williams.
MYERS, Daniel B., 81, Our Lady of Lourdes, Indianapolis, Nov. 11. Father of Bobby, Fran, Gerry, Hanque, John, Julie, Matt and Tiz Myers. Grandfather of two.
NIERSBACH, William, 86, St. Mary, Richmond, Nov. 19. Husband of Mary Elizabeth Niersbach. Father of Gretchen Murray and William Niersbach. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of four.
SAVAGE, Glenna Mae (Milam), 80, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Nov. 18. Mother of Theresa and Michael Savage. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two.
SCHEIBLE, Anthony John, 90, St. John the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Nov. 16.
SHARPE, Mary Jeanne, 89, St. Joan of Arc, Indianapolis, Oct. 6. Mother of Janet Engle, Debi King, Peg Martin, Patty Tokarek, Greg, Rick and Ron Sharpe. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of eight.
STRACQUALURSI, Toni L., 57, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Nov. 18. Mother of Ashley Sallor. Sister of Becky Yoder. Grandmother of two.
TURPIN, Ron, 76, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Indianapolis, Sept. 3. Brother of Marilyn Korfhage.
Providence Sister Bernice Kuper taught in Catholic schools, served as novice director
Providence Sister Bernice Kuper died on Nov. 26 at Mother Theodore Hall at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 91.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Nov. 30 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Anna Bernice Kuper was born on Aug. 22, 1922, in Jasper, Ind.
She entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Jan. 6, 1940, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1948.
Sister Bernice earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, and a master’s degree in education at the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana.
During 73 years as a Sister of Providence, Sister Bernice ministered in Catholic education for 21 years in schools in Illinois, Indiana and Oregon.
In the archdiocese, she taught at St. Patrick School in Terre Haute from 1953-59, and in Indianapolis at Nativity School from 1959-60 and the former Ladywood-St. Agnes School from 1970-71.
She also served as the community’s director of novices from 1961-69, director of formation from 1961-69 and in administration in the order from 1971-78. Sister Bernice ministered as pastoral associate of St. John the Baptist Parish in Newburgh, Ind., in the Evansville Diocese from 1980-93. The following year, she retired to her community’s motherhouse where she assisted in the vocations office.
She is survived by a sister, Dolores Habig of Jasper, Ind., and several nieces and nephews.
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. †