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)

ANDERSON, Mary Rose, 89, SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi, Greenwood, Aug. 20. Mother of Carla Gargas, Libby Knight, Gail Patterson and Christian Anderson. Grandmother of 19. Great-grandmother of 28. Great-great-grandmother of two.

Bordenkecher, Joseph T., 79, St. Anthony, Indianapolis, Aug. 7. Husband of Ann Bordenkecher. Father of Millie, Dan, John and Robert Bordenkecher. Brother of Pauline Graf, Caroline Hines and Margaret Kennedy. Grandfather of five.

CARNES, Margaret, 85, St. Mary, New Albany, Aug. 29. Mother of Cathy Fields, Teresa Fountain, Sue Glordan, Chris and Steve Crone. Sister of Leo Schlensker. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of six.

HAFFNER, Susan, 88, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, Aug. 31. Mother of Paula Haffner, Carol Heckman, Helen West and Stephen Haffner. Sister of Carol Offerle. Grandmother of five.

HALL, Karen L., 69, St. Mary (Immaculate Conception), Rushville, Sept. 3. Mother of Nicole Hall. Sister of Debra Boland, Margaret, David and Donald Newhouse. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of one.

JOHNSTON, David, 103, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Aug. 28. Father of Nancy McKinney, Janet and Dan Johnston. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of six.

LAKER, Ella J., 68, St. Catherine of Siena, Decatur County, Sept. 4. Wife of Daniel Laker. Mother of Amanda Rosenberger, Andrew, Marc and Matt Laker. Sister of Mary Mays and Dan Fichtner. Grandmother of five.

MARSILI, Frank L., 78, St. Pius V, Toy, Aug. 30. Husband of Rita Marsili. Father of T.J. Ball, Rachel Granderson, Margie Weatherholt, E. Thomasina and Dr. Eric Marsili. Brother of Mary Broome. Grandfather of 12.

PIERCE, Franklin T., 22, St. Nicholas, Ripley County, Sept. 1. Son of Thomas and Peggy Pierce. Brother of Eleanor and Nate Pierce. Grandson of Donna Hampton.

REED, Sam, 68, St. Paul, Tell City, Aug. 31. Brother of Sheila Austin, Pam Franzman and Tim Reed. Uncle and great-uncle of several.

RUNKEL, Margaret G., 89, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Aug. 30. Wife of James Runkel, Sr. Mother of Sharon Bonnet, Stephanie Eaves, Edward, Kenneth and William Runkel. Sister of Irene Alva and MaryAnn Brosman. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of 12.

VESSELS, Mary (Redmon), 85, St. Mary, New Albany, Aug. 17. Wife of W.G. Vessels. Mother of Sarah Hughes, Paula, Teresa, Joel, Patrick and R. Wayne Vessels. Sister of Joan Medley. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of one.

WELCH, Bob, 82, St. John the Baptist, Starlight, Sept. 2. Husband of Linda Welch. Father of Dee Dee Mix and Rob Welch. Grandfather of two. Great-grandfather of one.

WHITSETT, Kenneth M., 82, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Aug. 29. Father of Maureen Potter, Kathleen, Gregory and Jeffrey Whitsett. Brother of Mary Ellen Yetter. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of two.

Patrick J. Moriarty, 89, father of Father Joseph Moriarty, died on Sept. 2

Patrick J. Moriarty, the father of Father Joseph Moriarty, rector of Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary and sacramental minister of Holy Angels Parish, both in Indianapolis, died on Sept. 2 at the St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove. He was 89.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Sept. 12 at St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) Church in Indianapolis. Burial followed at Calvary Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Moriarty was born on May 13, 1931, and grew up in Sneem (County Kerry), Ireland, before emigrating to the United States in 1949. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen and served in the Merchant Marines on the Great Lakes and in the U.S. Marines.

Moriarty married his wife, Margaret L. (Povin) Moriarty, on April 14, 1952. They had met when she, working as a nurse, had treated him when he was admitted to a hospital in her native Conneaut, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie. They eventually settled in Indianapolis, where they were members of Little Flower Parish and were the parents of nine children. Margaret preceded him in death after 59 years of marriage.

Moriarty was a firefighter for 29 years with the Indianapolis Fire Department, worked at Jenn-Air Corporation and served as a deputy fire marshal for the state of Indiana for 11 years.

Pat will be remembered for his signature cigar and as a larger-than-life jovial Irishman who was proud of his Irish heritage, his Catholic faith and his family legacy. As a loving father, devoted husband and a diligent worker, Pat sought to love God in all things.

He is survived by his daughter Therese Brandon of Beech Grove, his sons Denis Moriarty of Los Angeles, John Moriarty of Carmel, Ind., Brian, Father Joseph, Michael and Thomas Moriarty, all of Indianapolis; his siblings Maudie Widdow of England and Una O’Sullivan, Frank and Louis Moriarty, all of Ireland; 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be sent to Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary at bishopsimonbrute.org. †