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)
BENEDICK, Helen Edith, 93, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Dec. 2. Sister of Lucille Wright. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two.
BLIND, Pearl Eva, 94, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Nov. 1. Sister of Ralph White. Great-aunt of one.
BORNO, Edna Pauline Lemaire, 73, St. Paul, Sellersburg, Dec. 4. Wife of Ray Borno. Mother of Donna Adams, Diane Shaver, Patrick and Randy Borno. Grand-mother of eight. Great-grandmother of three.
CAMPBELL, Henry D., 78, St. Joseph, St. Joseph Hill, Dec. 12. Husband of Mary Louise Campbell. Father of Mary Rose Malott, Theresa Wolford, Dennis, Henry and Paul Campbell. Brother of Sis Terrell, Lee Campbell and Billy Jackson. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of six.
CASSIDY, Michael F., 48, St. Vincent de Paul, Bedford, Dec. 8. Son of William and Mary Cassidy. Brother of Anita Asbery, Theresa Keith and Rita Lane.
COLUSSI, Albert J., 74, Prince of Peace, Madison, Dec. 7. Husband of Lea Colussi. Father of Ann Dee, Ellen Miller, Jane Romick and Joseph Colussi. Brother of Toni Keller, Jacquelyn Young and Donald Colussi. Grandfather of nine.
COMELLA, Anna C., 97, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Indianapolis, Dec. 14. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of seven.
DATTILO, Sarah E., 90, Prince of Peace, Madison, Dec. 10. Mother of Catherine Courtney, Elizabeth Jackson, Susan Reed and Peter Dattilo Jr. Grandmother of eight.
DISQUE, Eunice Mary (Hamson), 85, Our Lady of Providence, Brownstown, Dec. 22. Wife of John F. Disque. Mother of Terri French, Jan Lustig, Kathy Marcisz, Donna Schuck, Bill, Jerry, Jim, Joe, John, Steve and Tom Disque. Sister of John Henry Hamson. Grandmother of 45. Great-grandmother of 49.
DOERR, Ruth L., 88, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Dec. 17. Mother of Maryann and Robert Doerr. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of one.
FILCER, Joseph L., 84, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Dec. 5. Father of Amy Hogan, Laurie Meek and Michelle Tansy. Brother of Delores Forbes, Patricia Garrett and Marjorie Stevens. Grandfather of six.
FOSSKUHL, Irma (Engle), 90, St. Mary, New Albany, Dec. 16. Mother of Beverly Frankowski, Brenda Masden and Frances Roberts. Sister of Melvin and Robert Engle. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of 11.
GARDNER, Florence B., 81, St. Matthew, Indianapolis, Dec. 15. Mother of Robert and Thomas Gardner. Grandmother of six.
GEIMAN, Joseph Adam, Jr., 87, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Indianapolis, Dec. 12. Father of James, Joseph III, Richard and Thomas Geiman. Brother of Kenneth Geiman.
GODA, Robert T., 80, Sacred Heart, Terre Haute, Dec. 7. Brother of Jerrie Fox, Betty Jones and Joe Goda.
HAMMETT, Juanita, 87, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Nov. 4. Mother of Patricia Mader. Grandmother of three. Great-grandmother of three.
HILBERT, Harry Jr, 94, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Dec. 16. Father of Louanna Booth, Daryl, David and Larry Hilbert. Brother of Arthur and Robert Hilbert. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of eight.
JONES, Antoinette Adaline, 92, Holy Family, New Albany, Dec. 19. Mother of Nancy Russell, Mary Alice, Melba, Terri, Bill, John and Paul Jones. Sister of Evelyn Banet, Carl, Richard and William Schmidt. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of three.
JUERLING, Walter, 68, St. Andrew, Richmond, Dec. 13. Brother of Ruth Hubbard and Donna Whittaker.
KERTIS, Kathleen, 90, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Dec. 11. Aunt of several.
KISSINGER, Debra K., 58, Our Lady of Lourdes, Indianapolis, Dec. 17. Wife of Thomas Kissinger. Mother of Kelly Kissinger and Kristi LeBeau. Daughter of Joyce Garzolini.
KLEIN, Ethel (Deweese), 92, St. Mary, New Albany, Dec. 14. Mother of Carolyn Blunk, Shirley Stiller and Leo Klein. Sister of Harvey Borgman. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of 22. Great-great-grandmother of six.
KNECHT, Margaret R., 86, St. Peter, Franklin County, Dec. 2. Mother of Bertie Bauman, Betty Dunbar, Cindy Ross, Marilyn Weller, Connie Wintz, Butch, Gary and Mark Knecht. Sister of Nettie Bulach. Grandmother of 21. Great-grandmother of 38.
LANG, Seivren Anthony, 28, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Nov. 23. Son of Leland and Jeanine Lang. Brother of Tyler Lang.
NIESSE, Vincent P., 80, Prince of Peace, Madison, Dec. 13. Father of Mary Anderson, Marlene and Dennis Niesse. Brother of Ida Rowlett and Richard Niesse. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of one.
PADGETT, Louis J., 58, St. Vincent de Paul, Bedford, Dec. 10. Husband of Ruth Padgett. Father of Elizabeth Craig, Margaret Jackey and Joseph Padgett. Grandfather of two.
PARSHALL, Norman E., 81, St. Luke, Indianapolis, Dec. 10. Husband of Catherine Parshall. Father of Patricia Eddleman, Margaret Green, Nancy Wehl and Steven Parshall.
PEÑA, Ignacio Rodriguez, 71, St. Anthony, Indianapolis, Dec. 15. Husband of Linda Sue Peña. Father of Irene Bays, Rachel Gamez, Maria Weddle, Venessa, Gabriel and Macario Salazar, Rosie and Guadalupe Trevino, Martha, Topacip, Daniel, Faustino, Fernando, Ignacio Jr., Jorge and Raymond Peña. Brother of Paula Flores, Santos Perez, Rosa Ruiz, Josephine Salazar, Maria Trevino, Chris and Jose Peña.
PIERCE, Louise Marian, 75, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Dec. 4. Wife of Arthur Pierce. Mother of Mary Franklin and David Pearson.
PIERCY, Catherine, 74, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Nov. 26. Mother of Kristine Clark, Lisa Hawley, Michelle Thompson, Ralph and R. Mark Piercy. Sister of Eileen Priest, Anna Roberts and Victor Vaughn. Grandmother of 11.
Providence Sister Claretta Burbine
taught grade school for 56 years
Providence Sister Claretta Burbine died on Dec. 4 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 96.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Dec. 9 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery at the motherhouse.
The former Celine Burbine was born on July 31, 1910, in Yarmouth County in Nova Scotia.
She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on July 18, 1928, professed first vows on Feb. 24, 1931, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1936.
During 78 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered as an educator for 56 years.
Sister Claretta taught at grade schools staffed by the Sisters of Providence in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, Maryland, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
In the archdiocese, Sister Claretta taught at the former St. Benedict School in Terre Haute in 1932 and the former St. Joseph School in Terre Haute from 1936-39.
She also taught at St. Joan of Arc School in Indianapolis from 1939-44 and Holy Cross School in Indianapolis from 1954-56.
At Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Sister Claretta also served as an infirmarian from 1931-32.
In 1988, she returned to the motherhouse and ministered in health care and residential services. In 2000, she began her prayer ministry with the senior sisters.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. †