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)

BOYD, Mary Ellen (Barton), 60, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Indianapolis, July 9. Wife of Jack Carr Boyd. Mother of Katherine, Christopher and Dr. J. B. Boyd. Sister of Peggy Weaver. Grandmother of two.

FOGARTY, Nellie E., 89, St. Anthony, Indianapolis, June 4. Sister of Victor Woodside. Aunt of several.

GARTENMAN, Rita B., 85, St. Louis, Batesville, July 4. Wife of Arthur Gartenman. Mother of Donna Feller and Dan Gartenman. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 19.

GROOMER, Dean Alan, 38, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, June 17. Husband of Patricia Tichenor-Groomer. Father of Dean Groomer Jr. and Sean Tichenor. Son of Mark Groomer and Arlene Sparks.

KIRCH, Richard L., 74, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, June 20. Father of Kathleen Isom, Chris, Karin and Kelli Kirch. Brother of Jean Feldhake and Edward Kirch. Grandfather of five.

KRATZ, Thomas R., 61, St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, July 2. Father of Teresa Clark. Grandfather of two.

LANCASTER, Mary T., 94, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, July 9. Mother of Patricia McMichael and Steve Lancaster. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 12.

LONG, John R., 76, St. Vincent de Paul, Shelby County, July 5. Husband of Marjorie Long. Father of Angela Barker, Sandra Brault, Pamela Mick, Dee Ann Miller, Gary and John Long. Brother of Rosemary Fisher, Ruth Ann Fountain, Lois Maxwell, Rita, George, Paul, Ray, Roger and Russ Long. Grandfather of 15.

McMAHON, Charles P., 85, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, June 15. Husband of Betty McMahon. Father of Mary Abel, Judy Carney, Jacqueline Donahue, Susan Godme, Cathy Holie, Daniel, Joseph and Steven McMahon.

MILLIKAN, Belinda K., 49, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, June 23. Wife of Gary Millikan. Mother of Rita Alexis, Kurtis Kelly, Michael and Ryan Millikan. Sister of Sandy and Michael Whitworth. Grandmother of four.

MPINGA, Manuel M., 70, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Indianapolis, June 27. Husband of Genevieve Mpinga. Father of Dzembe and Tembo Mpinga. Brother of Zenolonga Mpinga.

MORRIS, Helen M., 83, Holy Trinity, Indianapolis, July 3. Mother of Judy, Kathy and David Morris. Sister of James and Kenneth Huber. Grandmother of three.

POLLARD, Mary Jane (Hillen), 75, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Indianapolis, July 3. Mother of Diane Keith, Daniel, James, Nicholas and Steve Pollard. Sister of Catherine Hoffman, Donna and Leo Hillen. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of one.

ROMAN, Martin J., 91, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, July 1. Husband of Barbara (Worland) Roman.

SCHEELE, Victoria J., 61, Holy Family, Oldenburg, July 9. Wife of Will Scheele. Mother of Dawn Harrington. Grandmother of two.

SHOETTMER, Lawrence J., 87, St. Mary, Greensburg, July 7. Father of Theresa Nobbe and Paul Schoettmer. Brother of Lorina Krieger, Dorothy Redelman, Leonard Sr. and Robert Schoettmer. Grandfather of three.

SMITH, Benjamin Scott, 25, St. Barnabas, Indianapolis, July 9. Husband of Mindy (Courtney) Smith. Son of David and Mary (Schonhoff) Smith. Brother of Andy, David, Jeremy and Matt Smith. Grandson of Hank Schonhoff and Harold Smith.

STANFIELD, Carol June, 61, Holy Trinity, Indianapolis, May 16. Daughter of Sylvia Stanfield. Sister of Frank and Randolph Stanfield.

SWINFORD, Leo J., 82, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, June 17. Husband of Mary Ann (Dede) Swinford. Father of Mary Sue Hedrick, Sally Stewart, Sherri and Scott Swinford. Brother of Thelma Marrs. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of one.

TANTILLO, Providence M., 92, St. Barnabas, Indianapolis, July 1. Mother of Mary Ann Agresta, Providence Chase and Scena Whitney. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of 10.

THIESING, Irene B., 77, St. Mark, Perry County, June 30. Mother of Lesa Lasher, Lynn Rogier and Wayne Thiesing. Grandmother of four.

VOGELGESANG, Ruth, 75, St. Andrew, Richmond, June 19. Sister of Martha Hammerle, Donald and James Vogelgesang.

WARREN, Mildred, 89, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, July 2. Mother of Joyce Theobold. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of 10.

WILDFANG, Maureen L., 55, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, June 27. Mother of Melissa, Ryan and Sean Wildfang. Sister of Gloria Hartwell, Sandy Hundley, Joyce, Dennis and Gary Markwell. Grandmother of two.

Franciscan Father Elvan Maschmann served in parishes

Franciscan Father Elvan Maschmann, a friar of the St. Louis Province of the Sacred Heart, died on July 8 at Mary Twain Manor Nursing Home in Bridgeton, Mo. He was 88.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 11 at St. Francis Borgia Church in Washington, Mo. Burial followed in the priests’ section of the parish cemetery.

The former Wilbert Maschmann was born on Jan. 20, 1920, in Washington, Mo.

He entered the Order of Friars Minor on Aug. 13, 1940, and professed his first vows on Aug. 14, 1941, and his solemn vows in 1944. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1946.

During 41 years of ministry from 1947 to 1988, Father Elvan served in parish ministry.

He ministered at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Indianapolis as well as at parishes staffed by the Franciscans in the archdioceses of St. Louis, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Gaylord, Mich.; Superior, Wis.; and Jefferson City, Mo.

During the last 11 years of his active ministry, Father Elvan served as the chaplain at Villa Gesu in St. Louis, the retirement center for the School Sisters of Notre Dame. He retired in 1999.

Friars in the Sacred Heart Province remembered Father Elvan as “a simple, quiet man and faith-filled friar,” who loved his community, lived life to the fullest and blessed everyone that he met each day.

The friars said Father Elvan was so trusting in God’s care that he refused chemotherapy when he was diagnosed with cancer and looked forward to going to heaven.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart, 422 N. Dixon Ave., Joliet, IL 60435. †