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)
ANDREJASICH, Raymond J., 80, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Feb. 21. Husband of Carol Andrejasich. Brother of Frank Andrejasich.
COOK-FULTON, Elizabeth, 91, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Feb. 18. Mother of Judy, Gary, James and William Cook. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 17. Great-great-grandmother of five.
CREAMER, Sean R., 30, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Indianapolis, Feb. 21. Son of Jim and Patti Creamer. Brother of Lauren and Jimmy Creamer. Grandson of Shirley Creamer.
DAVIS, Esther Y., 91, Holy Angels, Indianapolis, Feb. 8. Mother of Carolyn Davis. Grandmother of three. Great-grandmother of three.
DREWES, Ervinna, 89, St. Michael, Brookville, Feb. 19. Mother of Shirley Peters, Bruce, David, Earl and Steve Sawyer. Sister of Olla Mae Padgett, Karen Prentice, Barbara and Margaret Smith, Donald Cummins and Leo Kolb. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of 11.
GAROFOLA-BYERS, Patricia Ann, 84, St. Vincent de Paul, Bedford, Feb. 17. Wife of Philip Byers. Mother of Toni Hunsaker and Clifford Garofola. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of one.
GOEBEL, James F., 81, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, Feb. 15. Husband of Beverly Goebel. Father of Sharon Caroselli, Anne, Mary and John Goebel. Grandfather of four.
GOLEY, Ann (Konkle), 86, Prince of Peace, Madison, Feb. 21. Mother of Karol Anne Kirk, Rhonda McFarren and Jo Ellen Norville. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of six. Great-great-grandmother of one.
HECKMAN, Georgenia, 81, St. John Paul II, Clark County, Feb. 16. Wife of Raymond Heckman. Mother of Carol Goodman, Sherry Quinn, David and Gary Heckman. Sister of Margaret Oester. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of seven.
HICKMAN, Theodore E., 83, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Feb. 9.
HOPKINS, Dorothy Ann, 73, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Feb. 10. Mother of Christopher and Michael Hopkins. Sister of Barbara, Marlene, Allen and John.
MCCLURE, George, 88, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Jan. 30. Husband of Marian McClure. Father of Marianne and George McClure, Jr. Grandfather of two.
MCGINLEY, Eileen M., 71, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Feb. 20. Mother of Kathleen Gullott, Meghan Stone, John and Mark Hannon. Sister of Brian and John McGinley. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of one.
MILLER, Lois Jean, 90, St. Anthony, Indianapolis, Feb. 14. Mother of Donna Edwards, Brenda McCoy and Linda Miller. Grandmother of 10. Step-grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of 12.
MOLLAUN, Marlene P., 77, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Feb. 16. Mother of Kelly, Devin and Kurt Mollaun. Sister of John and Tom Bauman. Grandmother of 12. Great-grandmother of seven.
NICHOLS, Mary Ellen, 97, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Feb. 21. Mother of Pat Dagon, Andrea Maynard, Brenda Tolliver and Kenneth Nichols. Sister of Aileen Kerr. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of five.
PAVEY, Jean, F., 88, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Feb. 21. Wife of Richard Pavey. Mother of Janet and John Froelich. Grandmother of three.
PITMAN, Robert M., 87, St. Joseph, Corydon, Feb. 18. Father of Anthony, Eric, Michael, Paul, Richard and Robert Pitman. Brother of Betty Boaz. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of one.
PUNTARELLI, Joan E. (Pierle), 94, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Feb. 5. Mother of Tracy Pickens, Tim and Tory Puntarelli. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of two.
RICHARDSON, Patricia Lynn, 69, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Feb. 14. Mother of Joe Richardson. Sister of Bill, Jim and Mike Peters.
RICHMOND, James J., 55, St. Michael, Brookville, Feb. 14. Brother of Paul and Tom Richmond.
SHEPARD, Jr., Bernard, 73, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Feb. 17. Husband of Rosie Shepard. Father of Julie Hughes, Thomas and Timothy Shepard. Brother of Marilyn Fillenwarth, Peggy Kennedy and John Shepard. Grandfather of six.
SPITZER, Edward L., 101, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Feb. 16. Father of Jim and Mike Spitzer. Stepfather of Kim and Kris Davenport. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of four.
SPRIGLER, Robert, 87, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyd County, Feb. 21. Husband of Elizabeth (Koetter) Sprigler. Father of Lisa Kiesler, Doris Lindner, Tina Malloy and Robert Sprigler. Brother of Jan Naville. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of 17.
STRAIN, Jana K., 51, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Feb. 17. Wife of Gregory Strain. Mother of Griffin and Jacob Strain. Sister of J. Kyle Schrink.
WEILHAMMER, Thomas A., 95, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Feb. 20. Father of Kathy Clements, Karen Duncan and Mark Weilhammer. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of four.
Benedictine Abbot Alan Berndt led former Blue Cloud Abbey in South Dakota for 16 years
Benedictine Abbot Alan Berndt, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, died on Feb. 24 in the monastery infirmary. He was 95.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 27. Burial followed at the Archabbey Cemetery.
Abbot Alan was a jubilarian of monastic profession, having celebrated 75 years of vowed monastic life. He was also a jubiliarian of ordination, having lived for 71 years as a priest.
Robert Joseph Berndt was born on March 15, 1920, in South Bend, Ind.
He completed his elementary education at St. Matthew Cathedral School in South Bend before entering Saint Meinrad Seminary as a high school seminarian.
Abbot Alan was invested as a novice in Saint Meinrad Archabbey in 1939, professed simple vows on Aug. 6, 1940, and solemn vows on Aug. 6, 1943.
Following ordination, he taught algebra and Latin in the minor seminary at Saint Meinrad for a year. He then served for 10 years as a missionary priest among American Indians at Immaculate Conception Mission in Stephan, S.D., and 10 years at St. Michael Mission in N.D.
In 1950, Saint Meinrad Archabbey founded Blue Cloud Abbey in Marvin, S.D. Abbot Alan joined the new community as a founding member. He served from 1970-86 as its second abbot.
After stepping down from leading the abbey, Abbot Alan began a series of pastoral assignments at local parishes in South Dakota and, from 1990 to 1995, served as chaplain at St. Mary Hospital in Pierre, S.D.
During his time of leadership, the abbey reached its highest membership and carried on a variety of works. A skilled administrator and financial overseer, Abbot Alan was particularly influential and instrumental in the transferring of the ownership and administration of the abbey’s mission schools to the American Indians themselves.
He became a monk of Saint Meinrad once again when Blue Cloud Abbey closed in 2012.
For many years, Abbot Alan also helped arrange the rosary processions at the nearby Our Lady of Monte Cassino Shrine held on Sundays in May and October.
Surviving is a brother, Richard Berndt of South Bend.
Memorial gifts may be sent to Saint Meinrad Archabbey, 200 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN 47577.
Providence Sister Marilyn Rose Ginder served in mental health care for 25 years
Providence Sister Marilyn Rose Ginder died on Feb. 21 at Mother Theodore Hall at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 86.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 25 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Margaret Marie Ginder was born on Sept. 25, 1929, in Montgomery, Ind. She and her family later moved to Indianapolis, where she was a student at St. Roch School and the former St. John Academy.
She entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Feb. 2, 1949, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1956.
Sister Marilyn Rose studied at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She also studied at the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana, where she earned a master’s degree and doctorate in psychology.
During her 67 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Marilyn Rose ministered in education for 16 years in schools in Illinois and Indiana. Beginning in 1973, she directed the Midtown Comprehensive Mental Health Center in Indianapolis, while also serving an assistant professor at Indiana University. She served at Midtown from 1973-82 and 1986-2002.
She also served in the administration of the Sisters of Providence from 1982-86.
In the archdiocese, Sister Marilyn Rose served in Indianapolis at Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ School from 1956-58 and at the former Ladywood High School from 1962-65.
She is survived by a sister, Marilyn Simpson of Greenwood.
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. †