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)

AKIN, Kyndra A., 43, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyd County, Nov. 25. Daughter of Dr. Daniel and Margaret Akin. Sister of Jodi Clere, Brian and Scott Akin. Aunt of several.

BARLOW, Caitlin E., 27, St. Mary, North Vernon, Nov. 21. Mother of Jaxon Kendall and Kennedy Barlow. Daughter of Lisa Barlow. Sister of Alex, Joe and Nick Barlow. Granddaughter of Dave Shaw. Great-granddaughter of Doris Shaw.

BEAVER, Nadara J., 83, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Oct. 24. Wife of William Beaver. Mother of Gayle Alvey, Marcia Ewbank, Ann Jones and Mark Beaver. Sister of Judi Checkley and Carl Fletcher. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of five.

BENSMAN, Edward A., 82, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, Nov. 16. Husband of So Young Bensman. Father of Michelle and Edward Bensman. Grandfather of two.

BURKERT, Rita M., 81, St. Mary, Greensburg, Nov. 26. Mother of Marti MacKinnon, Jay, Jim and Mark Burkert. Sister of Ken Luken. Grandmother of eight.

CRISS, Roxanna R., 66, St. Martin of Tours, Martinsville, Nov. 27. Sister of Barbara Alexander, Emily and Ronald Criss.

DIDAT, Jim, 69, St. Mary, Navilleton, Nov. 23. Husband of Susan Didat. Father of Brandon and Trevor Didat. Brother of Patricia Holsclaw, Elmer, Jerome and Regis Didat. Grandfather of five.

GIERZYNSKI, Sarah E., 78, St. Mary, North Vernon, Nov. 24. Wife of Terry Gierzynski. Mother of Elisabeth Hegmann and Hugh Partridge. Grandmother of three.

HARDY, Rose M., 90, St. John Paul II, Sellersburg, Nov. 28. Mother of Rose Dietrich, Mary Reel, Linda Taylor, George and Michael Hardy. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of 30. Great-great-grandmother of three.

HUTSON, Phyllis R., 86, SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi, Greenwood, Nov. 16. Mother of Amy Combes, Jennifer D’Andrea, Pamela Morr, Victoria Muniz, Jeffrey and Michael Hutson. Sister of Jean Chamberlin. Grandmother of 14. Great-grandmother of five.

KELKER, Robert B., Jr., 83, SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi, Greenwood, Nov. 15. Husband of Constance Kelker. Father of Eileen Hambrick, Kristina LaFleur, Renee Lykins, Kimberly Wilson and Lorne Kelker. Brother of Mary Ann Fairchild, Joe and Mike Kelker. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of eight.

KIEFFER, Joseph F., Jr., 92, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Nov. 29. Husband of Grace Kieffer. Father of Liz Appleby, Christine Hamilton, Patricia Parker, Mary Kay Segasser, Ed and Kevin Kieffer. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of six.

KIRTLEY, Michael B., 57, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, Nov. 11. Father of Jennifer Kirtley. Brother of Elizabeth Cox and Carolyn Ibey.

SCHOENFELDER, Jerry J., 83, St. Martin of Tours, Martinsville, Dec. 1. Husband of Janice Schoenfelder. Father of Annette Newhart and Michael Schoenfelder. Brother of Barbara Britton, Kay Isburg and Jim Schoenfelder. Grandfather of 12. Great-grandfather of six.

SENG, Alvina E. (Renn), 88, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyd County, Nov. 28. Mother of Denise Burden, Mary Pat Butler, Alyssa Morris, Charles III and Philip Seng. Sister of Evalina Ems, Aline Krakowski, Lelia Popp, Virginia Schindler, Elvin and Harold Renn. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of 18.

SHEETS, Jeffery P., 64, St. Martin of Tours, Martinsville, Nov. 26. Brother of Joe and Tom Sheets. Uncle of two.

SPANIER, Edward J., 82, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Nov. 28. Husband of Phyllis Spanier. Father of Christopher and Daniel Spanier. Stepfather of Kristine Kruczek Mains, Therese and R. Patrick Kruczek. Grandfather of three. Step-grandfather of nine.

STINER, Mary Catherine, 82, Most Precious Blood, New Middleton, Nov. 9. Sister of Lois Ann Drury and William Stiner. Aunt, great-aunt and great-great aunt of several.

THOMAS, Carolyn R., 82, St. John Paul II, Sellersburg, Nov. 22. Mother of Cynthia Knopp, Nancy O’Donoghue and Gordon Lamb. Sister of Raymond Heckman. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of four.

THOMAS, James M., 68, St. Mary, New Albany, Nov. 26. Husband of Connie Thomas. Father of Lee Ann Cooper, James, Jr., Ray and Troy Thomas. Brother of Evelyn Arnold, Patty Byerly, Barbara Conrad, Donald, Irvin, Jr., John and Patrick Thomas. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of three. †