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)
ALLEN, Barbara (Frame), 90, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Richmond, April 30. Wife of Robert Allen. Mother of Kathryn Whifield, Richard and Thomas Allen. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 12.
ARMSTRONG, Mary Alice (Pfau), 92, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, April 30. Wife of Kenneth Armstrong. Mother of Katherine Childers, Mary, Kenneth, Richard and Robert Armstrong. Sister of Patricia Worrell and James Pfau. Grandmother of four. Great‑grandmother of four.
BENTLEY, Janine, 65, St. Gabriel, Connersville, April 26, 2016. Mother of Misty Barrett, Renee and Jody Bentley. Sister of Scott Craighead. Grandmother of four.
BOERGER, Arlene, 78, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, May 2. Wife of Jim Boerger. Step-mother of Sharon Freson, Janice Scheeler, Charlene, Jerry and Jim Boerger. Sister of Joan Polumbo. Step-grandmother of 11. Step-great-grandmother of 13.
BRADLEY, Connie, 60, St. Charles Borromeo, Milan, May 9. Mother of Chad Bradley. Sister of Debbie Johnson and Tina Pevlor. Grandmother of three.
DIXON, Opal, 90, St. Michael, Cannelton, May 6. Mother of Jan Smith, Carolyn and Ralph Dixon. Sister of Linda Hess, Gilbert and Raphael Lagrange. Grandmother of three. Great‑grandmother of three.
GOETZ, Darren J., 52, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, May 1. Husband of Amanda Goetz. Father of Emma Elmore, Sydney Herrin, Kameron Williams and Brayden Goetz. Son of Carole Goetz. Brother of Laurie Kemp.
HALL, Robert E., 85, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Indianapolis, May 1. Uncle of several.
HARP, Edna M., 86, St. John the Baptist, Osgood, May 7. Mother of Joseph and Michael Harp. Sister of Vernon Wilmer. Grandmother of two.
HORNBERGER, Evelyn, 81, All Saints, Dearborn County, May 6. Mother of Tracy Stenger. Sister of Anna Mae Callahan, Myrtle Hildebrand, Carol Knue, Thelma Schornick, Arnie, Roger and Ronald Dierckman. Grandmother of three. Great‑grandmother of two.
KOSTIELNEY, Roger J., 75, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, April 19. Brother of Karen Brennan and Jane Kenipe. Uncle of several.
LEE, John E., 90, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, April 29. Husband of Lois Lee. Father of Julie, Jeffrey and John Lee. Brother of Thomas Lee. Uncle of several.
MATHEWS, Josephine Weddell (Stoneman), 100, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, May 2. Wife of Theodore Mathews. Mother of Peggi Barassi, Lynn Holser, Kelly Keen, Charles and James Weddell and Richard Mathews. Grandmother of five. Great‑grandmother of nine.
MAYER, Larry L., Jr., 24, Christ the King, Indianapolis, April 17. Son of Larry and Amy Mayer. Brother of Ashley Mayer. Grandson of Larry and Carol Mayer, Tim and Sandie Perry and Janet and Michael Waggoner. Uncle of several.
MCATEE, Rita E. (Mullen), 77, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, May 5. Wife of Joseph McAtee. Mother of Debora Hoskins, Rebecca Jacobs and Donald McAtee. Sister of Virginia Cunningham, Ann McAtee and Pat Mullen. Grandmother of seven.
MURPHY, Marion L., 78, St. Meinrad, St. Meinrad, April 19. Husband of Joyce Murphy. Father of Christine Scott, Victoria Zamrotto, Kent and LeRoy Wickham, Jr. Brother of Eilena Goodwin and Darrell Murphy. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of one.
ONDRUSEK, Robert W., 80, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, May 1. Husband of Jean Ondrusek. Father of Donna Rudolf, Therese Schmitt and Michael Ondrusek. Brother of Betty and Donna Kociba. Grandfather of one.
PRZYCHODZEN, Roman, 90, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, April 29. Husband of Marjorie Przychodzen. Father of Teresa Seanz, Helen Whatley, Mark Hodsen, Edmund Hodzen, Joseph and Michael Przychodzen. Grandfather of 14. Great-grandfather of two.
SHIELDS, Howard E., 74, St. Michael, Indianapolis, April 13. Father of Michael Mitchell, Katrina, Sean and Steve Shields. Step-father of Teena Thigpen. Brother of Beverly Hendricks, Loretta Lillard, Mary Malone, Barbara Pinner, Buford, Jackie and Robert Shields. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of 20.
SIMMERMEYER, Martha L., 74, Holy Family, Oldenburg, May 3. Sister of Melly Allgeier, Jackie Armbruster and Rosie Weisenbach. Aunt of several.
SMITH, Anna B., 94, St. Michael, Cannelton, May 3. Mother of Shelley Lawalin, Mark and Wayne Smith. Grandmother of four. Great‑grandmother of 5.
Providence Sister Kathleen Mary Gay served in Catholic schools in the archdiocese
Providence Sister Kathleen Mary Gay died on April 28 at Mother Theodore Hall at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 95.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on May 9 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in St. Mary‑of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Kathleen Mary Gay was born on Aug. 27, 1921, in Woburn, Mass. She entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on July 22, 1944, and professed final vows on Jan. 23, 1952.
Sister Kathleen earned a bachelor’s degree at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, and a master’s degree at Rivier College in Nashua, N.H.
During her 72 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Kathleen ministered in education for 40 years in Catholic schools in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and North Carolina. After retiring from education in 1987, she lived in Massachusetts and volunteered at St. Rose School in Chelsea for 26 more years. In 2014, she returned to the motherhouse and dedicated herself entirely to prayer.
In the archdiocese, Sister Kathleen served at the former Holy Trinity School in New Albany in 1947, and in Indianapolis at Holy Spirit School from 1960-62 and St. Joan of Arc School from 1962-65.
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. †