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)

ATKINS, Alan N., 74, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyd County, Feb. 19. Father of Jeffery and Scott Atkins. Brother of Brenda Jones. Grandfather of 12.

BRESE, Betty, 78, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Feb. 12. Wife of Gene Brese. Mother of Lisa Harreld, Dawn Holifield and Deb Weidner. Daughter of Ione Lynn. Sister of Brenda Muench and Joe Huyear. Grandmother of 11.

CELESTIN, Israel, 82, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Feb. 11. Husband of Henrietta Celestin. Father of Rachel, Chetzley, Christopher, Heath, Israel, Jr., and Wendall Celestin. Grandfather of 16.

COLLINS, Daniel G., 72, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Jan. 21. Father of Brian, Christopher and Patrick Collins. Brother of Lori Keen, Glenn, Mark and Randall Collins. Grandfather of four.

ENGEL, Karen, 81, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Feb. 23. Mother of Kimberly Miller, John and William Engel. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of 15.

LOVE, John, 89, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Feb. 17. Father of Lisa Belman. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of five.

MADER, Eugene F., 68, St. Michael, Greenfield, Feb. 17. Father of Shelby Mader. Brother of Roseanne Huckleberry, Catherine Odle and Gerald Mader. Uncle and great-uncle of several.

MUCKRIDGE, Don H., 83, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Cambridge City, Feb. 17. Father of Brent and Patrick Muckridge. Brother of Carol Cotton and Nancy Kirlin. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of four.

NAVILLE, Herman F., 93, St. Mary, Navilleton, Feb. 17. Husband of Marcella Naville. Father of Elaine Edwards, Carol Hougland, Cheryl Tansey, Daryl and Donald Naville. Brother of Elizabeth Blessing, Naomi Brockman and Eugene Naville. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of 15.

PEDIGO, Roger D., 67, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Jan. 8. Husband of Angela Pedigo. Father of Trisha Blaylock, Kelly Donahue, Julia and Mike Pedigo. Grandfather of nine.

STROTHER, Ellen J., 81, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Feb. 18. Wife of Robert Strother. Mother of Jessica Griggs, Aaron, Lawrence and Scott Strother. Sister of Libby Brown, Ree Enloe, George, Gus, Jerry, Peter and Richard Kutche. Grandmother of three.

TANASOVICH, Robert T., 90, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, Feb. 17. Husband of Elizabeth Tanasovich. Father of Lynn Phelps, Mary Sue Rush, Anita Wiley, Deborah, Robert and Steven Tanasovich. Brother of Dr. Cheryl Tanasovich. Grandfather of 17. Great-grandfather of 24.

VOLZ, Christine, 78, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Feb. 10. Mother of Andrew, Brent and Daniel Volz. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of nine.

Providence Sister Laurette Bellamy taught music in Indiana schools for 54 years, volunteered throughout the state

Providence Sister Laurette Bellamy, a member of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, died on Feb. 9 at Mother Theodore Hall on the campus of her religious community’s motherhouse. She was 96.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 27 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Sister Laurette was born on June 27, 1927, in Chicago. She entered the Sisters of Providence on Feb. 2, 1948, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1955.

Sister Laurette earned a bachelor’s degree in music at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, a master’s degree in music at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a doctorate in music theory at Indiana University in Bloomington.

During her 76 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Laurette ministered as a music educator in Catholic schools for 54 years in Indiana. In 2005, she volunteered in agencies in Bloomington, Greenwood, Indianapolis and Terre Haute. In 2023, Sister Laurette committed herself entirely to prayer.

In the archdiocese, Sister Laurette served at the former Ladywood School in Indianapolis from 1950-52 and 1957-64 and at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College from 1952-53, 1955-57, 1968-71, and 1972-2010.

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. †