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)

BEHLMER, Betty C., 72, St. Mary, Greensburg, Nov. 26. Wife of Alfred Behlmer. Aunt of several.

GOHN, David, 73, St. Andrew, Richmond, Nov. 22. Husband of Barbara Gohn. Father of Traci Lagacy and Todd Gohn. Brother of George Gohn. Grandfather of three.

HOBBS, Mary Pat, 83, Holy Family, New Albany, Nov. 23. Wife of Floyd Hobbs, Jr. Mother of Janice Adkins, Patti Bauder, Sandy Fitzgerald, Mary Ann, Brian, Jim and Paul Hobbs. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of 12.

KERSTIENS, Norma L., 72, St. Boniface, Fulda, Nov. 16. Wife of Dennis Kerstiens. Mother of Karen Ketzner, Debra Moore, Dave, Randy and Rick Kerstiens. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of two.

LOUGHERY, Mary Lou, 87, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Nov. 19. Wife of Jim Loughery. Mother of Anne Heid, Susan Loviscek, Lora Prange, Beth Schweikert, Mark, Stephen and Tom Loughery. Grandmother of 14.

MCKEE, Robert M., 61, St. Mary, Greensburg, Nov. 27. Father of Andrea McKee and Brian McKee. Brother of Stacy Kulpinski and Pat McKee. Grandfather of four.

MILLER, Frank E., 77, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Bright, Nov. 14. Husband of Joan (Spaeth) Miller. Brother of Norma Middendorf.

MULLIS, Janet S., 78, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Nov. 25. Mother of Ursula Cartwright and Herman Trilling. Sister of Herod Barr, Jr. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of three.

NEYENHAUS, Allocieus L., 86, St. Paul, Tell City, Nov. 22. Mother of Marietta Ney, Sheila Lasher Wheeler, Marcus and Paul Neyenhaus, Sr. Sister of Denny and Harold Hess. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of several.

OLSZEWSKI, Ruth (Neal), 89, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Nov. 25. Mother of Cathy Boerner, Donna Lewis and Patricia Waggoner-Mann. Sister of Agnes Back, Thelma Bolten Bingham Smith and Sue Evans. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of 11.

PIAZZA, Anthony Vincent, 61, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Nov. 27. Brother of Pete Piazza. Uncle of several.

RODECKER, Joseph, 91, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Nov. 18. Husband of Jean Rodecker. Father of Carrie Pappas and Bill Rodecker. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of 12.

WALKER, Joseph V., 91, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Nov. 19. Father of Sally O’Brien and Jim Walker. Brother of Jeanne Wilhelmus and Phil Walker. Grandfather of six.

WALLACE, Roland W., 78, St. Mary, Navilleton, Nov. 26. Husband of LaVerne Wallace. Father of Janet Kruer, Jill, Brian, Jerry and Michael Wallace. Brother of Joyce Pruhs, Kay Wise and Richard Wallace. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of one.

WANINGER, Leona M., 95, St. Boniface, Fulda, Nov. 28. Mother of Patty Kluemper, Laura Meunier, Carolyn Otto, Mary Lou Rothgerber, Betty Survance, Virginia Witte, Barbara, Jerome, Mike, Tim and Tom Waninger. Grandmother of 19. Great-grandmother of 26. Great-great-grandmother of two.

Dominican Sister of Peace Ruth Elsner taught in Cuba, ministered in retreat centers

Dominican Sister of Peace Ruth Elsner died on Nov. 24 at Spring View Hospital in Lebanon, Ky. She was 88.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Dec. 4 at the Sansbury Care Center Chapel in St. Catharine, Ky. Burial followed at the St. Catharine Motherhouse cemetery.

Sister Ruth was born on Oct. 20, 1926, in Indianapolis.

She entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine De’Ricci, based in Elkins Park, Pa., on July 16, 1950, and professed final vows on Feb. 13, 1953. Two years ago, that congregation of sisters merged with the Dominican Sisters of Peace, based in Columbus, Ohio.

Sister Ruth earned a bachelor of science degree in business from Drexel University in Philadelphia, and a master’s degree in biblical studies from Marywood University in Scranton, Pa.

During 61 years as a Dominican, Sister Ruth ministered in Catholic education in Havana, Cuba. She later served on the staff of retreat centers in Albuquerque, N.M., Elkins Park, Pa., and Kendall, Fla. and as an assistant archivist at St. Catharine Hall at Elkins Park. She dedicated herself entirely to prayer beginning in 2013 at Sansbury Care Center.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43219-2098 or donate online at www.oppeace.org. †