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)
BLONG, Thomas J., 64, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, June 29. Husband of Barbara (Burns) Blong. Father of Joanna, Mary Beth and Sharon Blong. Brother of 12. Grandfather of two.
CAMPBELL, Raymond, 80, St. Joseph, Sellersburg, June 23. Husband of Emma Jean Campbell. Father of Rose Ann Callahan and Robert Campbell. Brother of Loretta Hardy, Aggie Mills, Marty Short and Bud Campbell. Grandfather of three. Great-grandfather of two.
CLARK, Grace C., 76, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Indianapolis, June 23. Mother of Jim and Tom Clark. Sister of Rita Albee, Teresa Griffin, Ellen Nadalin, Ida Pinto and John Stephens. Grandmother of four.
CLARK, Virginia, 84, St. Mary, Richmond, June 30. Sister of Marilyn Shoemaker.
DELEHANTY, Kevin J., 48, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Indianapolis, June 24. Father of Conor, Joe and Reid Delehanty. Son of Meryl (Rivet) Delehanty. Brother of Michael, Patrick and Timothy Delehanty.
FISCHER, Marjorie M., 81, St. Gabriel, Connersville, June 26. Wife of Clarence F. Fischer. Mother of Nancy Rentfrow, Kenneth and Robert Fischer. Sister of Mary Louise Foster. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 10.
GAHIMER, Stephen E., 51, St. Mary, Rushville, June 29. Husband of Beverly (Fussner) Gahimer. Father of Amber and Jason Gahimer. Brother of Marilyn Llewlyn, Mary Beth Melton, Nancy Messer, Barbara Welch, Judy Wheeler, Donald, Larry and Ralph Gahimer.
HILL, Alma Marie, 82, St. Mary, North Vernon, June 27. Wife of Fabian F. Hill. Mother of Karen Bowling, Tracy Hines, Mary Knight, Debra Leach, Jeff and Max Hill. Sister of Veronica Kelley and Fabian McCammon. Grandmother of 16. Great-grandmother of 10.
LYLES, Mary Kathleen (Braun), 68, Holy Cross, Indianapolis, June 12. Wife of Frontus M. Lyles Sr. Mother of Donna Ford, Diana Graham, Elizabeth and Rebecca Kruezman, and James Lyles. Sister of Barbara, Daniel, John and Joseph Braun. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of two.
MAHONEY, Thomas Will, 66, St. Luke, Indianapolis, June 24. Husband of Rosemary Mahoney. Father of Kevin and Sean Mahoney.
McGRATH-HARKINS, Marie, 89, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, June 20. Wife of John Harkins. Mother of Kevin and Steve McGrath. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of one.
PAVEY, Virginia (Cox) Pike, 86, St. Mary, Rushville, June 27. Mother of Sally Stevens and Dean Pike. Stepmother of Rita Hilt, Mary Marlatt, Barbara Musgrave, Sue Ann Odum, Diana Voiles, Joe, John, Larry, Mike, Paul and Stephen Pavey. Grandmother of three. Step-grandmother of 42. Step-great-grandmother of eight.
PEAK, Louis L., 75, Holy Family, New Albany, June 20. Husband of Gertrude Peak. Father of Michele Lewallen, Louis Jr. and Wilbur Peak. Grandfather of nine. Great-grandfather of one.
PFEIFFER, Sue, 76, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, June 29. Wife of Bill Pfeiffer. Mother of Anne Perkins, Jane Pressly, Bill and Joseph Pfeiffer. Grandmother of eight.
SPOTTS, Margaretta Tinder, 86, St. Paul Hermitage, Beech Grove, June 30. Mother of Margaret, Edward and Robert Tinder. Stepmother of Katherine Chaney, Susan Donohoe, Dennis and Lewis Spotts. Grandmother of three. Step-grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of one. Step-great-grandmother of five.
STRESINO, Air Force Maj. Charles L., 47, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Indianapolis, June 24. Son of Edgar and Mary Lou Stresino. Brother of Jo Cully, Kathy, Bob and Peter Stresino.
TECHY, Mary M., 87, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, June 28. Mother of Patricia Bryant, J. Michael Duffy and Christopher Techy. Grandmother of six.
UHLMANSIEK, James, 69, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Aurora, June 22. Husband of Arlene (Thomas) Uhlmansiek. Father of Christopher and Lee Uhlmansiek. Brother of Mary Ann Forsha and Wayne Uhlmansiek. Grandfather of three.
VEIT, William Charles, Jr., 79, St. Mary, New Albany, June 22. Father of Kathryn Dilks, Charles, John, Richard, Thomas and William Veit. Brother of Barbara Notman. Grandfather of seven.
Providence Sister Agnes Pauline Meinert was a teacher, principal
Providence Sister Agnes Pauline Meinert died on June 24 at Union Hospital in Terre Haute. She was 90.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on June 28 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Florence Mary Meinert was born on Oct. 15, 1916, in Cicero, Ill.
She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence on Feb. 10, 1936, professed first vows on Aug. 15, 1938, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1944.
She celebrated her
90th birthday on the same day that St. Theodora Guérin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
During 71 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered as a teacher for 57 years and as a principal for six years at schools staffed by the congregation in Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.
In the archdiocese, Sister Agnes Pauline ministered at the former Ladywood High School in Indianapolis from 1938-39, the former Holy Trinity School in New Albany from 1939-42 and St. Joan of Arc School in Indianapolis, where she served as principal, from 1961-67.
In 1996, Sister Agnes Pauline returned to the motherhouse and served on the Providence Center staff for five years then on the residential services staff from 2001-07.
Surviving are two sisters, Claire Abell and Margaret Bradley; a brother, Robert Meinert; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876.
Franciscan
Sister Estelle
Nordmeyer
was 99
Franciscan Sister Estelle Nordmeyer died on June 20 at Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville.
She was 99 and would have celebrated her 80th jubilee of profession this year.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 3 at the motherhouse chapel of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Sylvia Elizabeth Nordmeyer was born on March 4, 1908, in Latonia, Ky.
She entered the Oldenburg Franciscan community on Sept. 8, 1927, and professed her final vows on July 2, 1933.
Sister Estelle ministered in elementary and secondary education at Catholic schools staffed by the Franciscan sisters in Oldenburg, Indianapolis and Cincinnati from 1930-50.
In the archdiocese, she taught at the former Holy Family School in Oldenburg, the former St. Mary Academy in Indianapolis and Marian College in Indianapolis.
From 1950-68, Sister Estelle served as director of postulants and novices for her community.
In later years, Sister Estelle ministered as director of retirement ministry and director of the Activity and Craft Center at the motherhouse.
Surviving are a brother, John Nordmeyer of Morris; a niece, Franciscan Sister Maury Nordmeyer; and many other nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036. †