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)
BECHT, Francis E., Jr., 63, St. Mary, Navilleton, July 25. Husband of Lezli (Birkla) Becht. Father of Amy, Francis III and Robbie Becht. Stepfather of Derek and Ryan Curl. Son of Dorothy Becht. Brother of Mary Jacobi, Veronica Messmer, Suzanne, Bill, John and Larry Becht.
BELLER, Antonia, 95, St. Andrew, Richmond, July 24. Mother of Barbara Carlin. Sister of Agnes Rinehart. Grandmother of two.
FLETCHER, Ruth J. (O’Brien), 88, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, July 25. Mother of Nancy Ehret. Sister of William O’Brien. Grandmother of three. Great-grandmother of two.
FOX, Daniel L., 87, Most Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, July 17. Father of Mary Lou, Daniel and David Fox. Grandfather of one.
GIFFORD, John, 66, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Terre Haute, July 25. Husband of Patty Gifford. Father of Tammy Cook, Patricia Dunson, Dorothy Jackson, Raina Roach and John Gifford. Brother of Vicki Bair, Dorothy Jarvis, Albert, C. Phillip, David, Leroy and Leslie Gifford. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of six.
GOTTEMOELLER, Monica, 94, St. Jude, Indianapolis, July 22. Mother of Susan Cook, Barbara Pratt, Mary Catherine Smith and Michael Gottemoeller. Grandmother of five.
GRAHAM, Violet Marie, 89, Most Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, July 16. Mother of Diane Drumm, Daniel and David Graham. Sister of Barbara Taylor. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of 12. Great-great-grandmother of one.
GRAY, D. Maxwell, 70, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Indianapolis, July 24. Husband of Judy (Fay) Gray. Father of Meredyth Hendri, Heather Jones and Holly Monesmith. Grandfather of nine.
HANLEY, Kathleen Marie (Carr), 73, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, July 25. Wife of Thomas Hanley. Mother of Eileen, Mary, Patty, John, Mark and Tom Hanley. Sister of Eileen Chicos, Joyce Wamsley, Shirlee, Don and Richard Carr. Grandmother of 11.
JONES, Melvin Glenn, Sr., 81, St. Anne, New Castle, July 18. Husband of Jo Ann Jones. Father of Katrina Edgar, Myra Hinkley, Cindy Phillips, Dan, Rodney and Stan Jones. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of six.
MAYER, Norbert L., 82, St. Jude, Indianapolis, July 28. Husband of Mary Ann Mayer. Father of Becky, Denise, Diane, Kathy, Dan, David, Kevin, Steve and Tim Mayer. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of four.
McDONALD, Jo Ann (Mayhorn), 65, St. Jude, Indianapolis, July 23. Wife of Raymond McDonald. Mother of Dr. Jeanette Hantzis and Debbie Huebner. Sister of Mel Clark, Valerie Hinchman, Linda Reading, Gary, James and Larry Mayhorn. Grandmother of four.
McGREW, Margaret (Burns), 74, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Terre Haute, July 26. Wife of Arthur McGrew. Mother of Mary Ervin, Carol Stockwell, Linda Tarwater and Arthur McGrew. Sister of Matthew Burns Jr. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of two.
OCHS, Carol Sue (Kollker), 73, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, July 14. Wife of James Ochs. Mother of Tracey Stanton, Jennifer Tooker, Margaret Zore, Greg, Mark and Matt Ochs. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of one.
ROERING, Patricia Kathleen, 70, St. Agnes, Nashville, July 28. Wife of Al Roering. Mother of Ann Bak, Christopher and Michael Roering. Grandmother of seven.
SCHULT, Joseph F., 67, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyds Knobs, July 18.
SCHUMACHER, Mary A., 89, Prince of Peace, Madison, July 20. Cousin to several.
SHORT, Alberta (Schwomeyer), 77, Most Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, July 17. Mother of Mary Ann Johnson, Karen Rosemeyer, Brian, Kevin and Thomas Short. Sister of Helen O’Connor and Herbert Schwomeyer. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of three.
WALKER, Clara M., 87, St. Jude, Indianapolis, July 23. Mother of Claire Barron, ancy Patterson, Elva Woodmansee and Robert Walker. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of seven.
Trappist Brother Stephen Batchelor was a Cardinal Ritter graduate, monk at Gethsemani
Trappist Brother Stephen Batchelor died on July 20 at the infirmary of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Ky. He was 47.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 23 at the church at the Abbey of Gethsemani. Burial followed at the monks’ cemetery.
Stephen Batchelor was born on Feb. 10, 1962, in Indianapolis. He attended St. Malachy School in Brownsburg, St. Susanna School in Plainfield and Cardinal Ritter High School in Indianapolis.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in library science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
He entered the Trappist community at Gethsemani on May 1, 1994, and made his solemn profession of vows on Nov. 13, 1999.
At the abbey, Brother Stephen lived a life of prayer, and assisted the monks with their ministries of making cheese, fruitcakes and bourbon fudge.
The abbey Web site noted that Brother Stephen was “intellectually gifted, widely read in a number of areas and loved to share his ideas.”
He was especially interested in ecumenical dialogue as well as Eastern and Orthodox rites and practices.
Although he had struggled with cancer for more than a year, the monks said Brother Stephen “was cheerful in the face of his coming death” and looked forward to meeting Jesus.
Surviving are his parents, Richard and Clara Batchelor, who are members of St. Susanna Parish in Plainfield, as well as a brother, Richard Batchelor of Plainfield, and sister, Patricia Hamm of Jeffersonville.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Abbey of Gethsemani, 3642 Monks Road, Trappist, KY 40051.
Oldenburg Franciscan Sister Marie Celine Wilhelm
ministered as a teacher and principal for 55 years
Franciscan Sister Marie Celine Wilhelm died on July 21 at Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville. She was 93.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 24 at the motherhouse chapel of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Agnes Wilhelm was born on July 18, 1916, in Brookville. She entered the Oldenburg Franciscan community on Sept. 8, 1932, and professed her final vows on July 2, 1938.
In the archdiocese, Sister Marie Celine served as a teacher and principal at St. Louis School in Batesville, Our Lady of Lourdes School in Indianapolis and St. Lawrence School in Indianapolis.
During 55 years of teaching from 1935 to 1990, Sister Marie Celine also taught at Catholic schools in the Diocese of Evansville as well as in Ohio.
Sister Marie Celine entered semi-retirement at the Oldenburg motherhouse in 1990, where she served in the community’s communication office.
In later years, during her full retirement, she lived at St. Clare Hall, the sisters’ health care facility.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis,
P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036. †