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)

AXSOM, Edgar Leon, 86, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Aug. 22. Husband of Ruth Axsom. Father of Cecily Fultz, Kathryn Woerner and Douglas Axsom. Brother of Marilyn Housel and Treva Tuley. Grandfather of five.

CLINE, Annis K., 90, St. Joseph, Corydon, Aug. 21. Mother of Kack Cline-Goodlett, Diane Franks, Rita McAdams, Keith and Michael Cline. Sister of Jean Ingle and Louis Reising. Grandmother of 12. Great-grandmother of 10.

CLINE, Valeria L., 46, St. Joseph, Corydon, Aug. 22. Mother of Jordan DeWeese. Daughter of Michael and Jane (Melton) Cline. Sister of Jerry Cline.

COTTER, Daniel F., 55, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Aug. 22. Brother of Loretta Rachek, Kathleen, Paul, Robert and Stephen Cotter.

DORSEY, Maria Elena, 73, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Aug. 1. Mother of Brenna and Chandra Dorsey. Grandmother of four.

FARGO, Angela Marie, 76, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Aug. 24. Mother of Cyndie Fisher, Margaret Miser, Daniel and David Fargo. Sister of Anthony and Michael Donataccio. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of three.

GUERRIERI, Sadie M., 67, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Indianapolis, Aug. 16. Sister of Esther Turner, Angelo, Howard, Joseph and Thomas Guerrieri.

HUGHES, Genevieve (Klumb), 89, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, Aug. 19. Mother of Jackie Gilliam, Mary Pam Hargrove, Susan Williams and John Klumb. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 12.

KELLISON, Robert J., 82, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Aug. 23. Husband of Jean Kellison. Father of Wendy Davey, Blair, Eric, Jay and Lee Kellison. Grandfather of 11.

KIRCHNER, Mark, 60, St. Mary, North Vernon, Aug. 21. Brother of Catherine Capes, Margaret Carson, Jeanette Firsich, Ladonna Green, Ruth Norris, Dorothy Palmer, Joanne Skelly, Mary Such, Jane, Andrew, John, Joseph, Michael, Patrick, Paul, Robert, and Stephen Kirchner.

KULAWINSKI, Carl Roman, 91, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, July 21. Husband of Leda Kulawinski. Father of Laura Marasco, Marian Miller, Karen Myers, Patty Rosiello, Sue Salzinski and Barbara Willet. Grandfather of 12. Great-grandfather of eight.

LASKOWSKI, Sara Elizabeth (Cooke), 36, Prince of Peace, Madison, Aug. 25. Mother of Finn and Owen Laskowski. Daughter of C. William and Marina (Dattilo) Cooke. Sister of Jodi Gray and John Cooke.

LONG, Theresa Lucille, 97, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Aug. 15. Mother of Ruel and Stephen Long. Sister of James Tucher. Grandmother of one. Great-grandmother of two. Great-great-grandmother of one.

THORNTON, Virginia A., 84, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Aug. 24. Mother of David Thornton.

TURNER, Valerie, 67, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Aug. 25. Wife of Elmer Turner. Mother of Dwight Turner. Sister of Sandra Waits. Grandmother of three.

VERMEULEN, David, 78, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, July 31. Father of Aaron, Brian, Eric and John Vermeulen. Brother of Joan Scott, Dolores Stone and James Vermeulen. Grandfather of seven.

Franciscan Sister Ruth Greiwe served as educator, missionary in Papua New Guinea

Franciscan Sister Ruth Greiwe died on Aug. 6 at the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg. She was 95.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 10 at the Motherhouse Chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Ruth Kathryn Greiwe was born on Feb. 13, 1920, in Greensburg. Prior to entering the Sisters of St. Francis, she was educated in public schools in Decatur County and worked on her family’s farm.

She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in the Class of 1940, and professed final vows on Aug. 12, 1946.

During 75 years as a Sister of St. Francis, Sister Ruth ministered as an educator in Catholic schools in Indiana and Ohio for 30 years. In the archdiocese, she served in Indianapolis at Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School from 1958-66 and the former St. Mary Academy from 1956-58. She also ministered at the Oldenburg Academy of the Immaculate Conception from 1944-45 and 1954-56.

In 1975, Sister Ruth began 20 years of ministry as a missionary in Papua New Guinea with other members of her community there. She ministered in a high school, and helped establish the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, a religious community made up of natives of Papua New Guinea.

After returning from the island nation north of Australia, Sister Ruth authored a history of her community’s 50-year mission work there titled Chronicle Account of the Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg, Indiana Serving in Papua New Guinea, which was published in 2008.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036-0100. †