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)
BACHER, Judith Ann, 66, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Nov. 9. Mother of Jennifer and Timothy Bacher. Sister of Donna Smith and Frank Kukulski.
BAUMANN, Richard F., 87, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Nov. 13. Husband of Virginia Baumann. Father of Nita Windmiller, Frank, Gary and Richard Baumann. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of seven.
BECHER, Roman A., 87, St. Mary, Lanesville, Nov. 14. Husband of Leona (Mehling) Becher. Father of Sandra Felix, Deana Sherrard, Daniel and Donald Becher. Brother of Mildred Bolte and Anna Mae Kunkler. Grandfather of 11. Great-grandfather of four.
BOLLS, Catherine Louise, 89, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, Nov. 16. Mother of Candace Camden, Chester Bolls, Carol and Cheryl Purvis. Sister of T. Ruth Ahaus and Dorothy James. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of eight.
BRACKETT, Stephen Troy, 31, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Nov. 12. Husband of Shannon Brackett. Son of Bill and Jane Brackett. Brother of Phil Brackett.
CARPENTER, Mary Irene (Strahl), 80, Holy Family, New Albany, Nov. 13. Mother of Mary Briscoe, Barbara Hamilton, Terri Hoffman, Chuck, Mark and Mike Carpenter. Sister of Joseph Strahl. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of seven.
CLEMENTZ, Wanda (Senters), 72, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, Nov. 7. Mother of five.
CODDINGTON, Martha, 93, St. Thomas Aquinas, Indianapolis, Nov. 11. Mother of Michael and William Coddington.
DEITER, Charles Joseph, 71, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Indianapolis, Nov. 12. Husband of Sonja Mae Deiter. Father of Elizabeth Andrachik, Ann Culpepper, Teresa Florczak, Marie Gagne, Christopher, John, Matthew, Patrick, Philip and Robert Deiter. Brother of Mary Ann Harrington, Lucielle and Anthony Deiter. Grandfather of 20.
DIERSING, Bernard, 62, St. Nicholas, Sunman, Oct. 4.
EVANCHO, Thomas George, 54, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, Nov. 10. Son of Rose Evancho. Brother of Linda Evancho.
GAMEZ, Alfredo, Sr., 87, St. Mary, Navilleton, Nov. 16. Father of Olaya Bradley, Janice Gassoway, Domingo Goodhue, Mary Lou Marshall, Anita Perey, Cathy Turner, Alfredo Jr., Jose, Ray and Steven Gamez. Brother of Alicia Alverey. Grandfather of 24. Great-grandfather of 28. Great-great-grandfather of two.
GRAAT, Eleonare, 74, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, Oct. 24. Mother of Alice Braun, Margie Phillips, Jim and Pierre Graat. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of eight.
HANKINS, Joseph, Jr., 86, Mary, Queen of Peace, Danville, Oct. 31. Husband of Mary Evelyn Hankins. Father of Susanne Crandall. Brother of Irene Boughton. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of 11.
JAMISON, Bobby C., 81, Mary, Queen of Peace, Danville, Oct. 31. Husband of Wanda Jamison. Father of Lisa Harris, Barbara Weiss, Thomas, Timothy and Toby Jamison. Brother of Ginny Warner. Grandfather of seven.
KOORS, Mildred M., 84, St. Mary, Greensburg, Nov. 15. Mother of Debbie Weston, Becky, Franciscan Sister Joanita, Herb, Jeff, Jerry, Rick and Tom Koors. Sister of Norbert and Ralph Hahn. Grandmother of 13.
KORTZENDORF, Robert, 77, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Nov. 9. Husband of Audrey Kortzendorf. Father of Diane Johnson and Robert Kortzendorf. Brother of Ruth Beard, Don and George Kortzendorf.
McFARLAND, Sandy, 52, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Nov. 13. Wife of Pat McFarland. Mother of Tammy Bentman and Shawn McFarland. Sister of Barb Hogg, Sue Nichols, Lynn Moore, Sharie Schurman, Ron and Terry Jacobson. Grandmother of two.
MINATEL, Robert A., 85, St. Anthony, Indianapolis, Nov. 7. Husband of Marjorie Minatel. Father of Diane Richards, Louise and Gary Minatel. Brother of Agnes Evrard, Ed and John Minatel. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of two.
MORROW, Joan C., 79, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, Nov. 12. Wife of Robert Morrow Sr. Mother of Annette Johnson and Robert Morrow Jr. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of five.
NEYER, William J., 82, St. Louis, Batesville, Nov. 11. Husband of Lois Neyer. Father of Michael and Thomas Neyer. Grandfather of two. Step-grandfather of one.
PIONKE, John F., 80, Mary, Queen of Peace, Danville, Nov. 6. Husband of Eva Pionke. Father of John Pionke. Brother of Antoinette Sadowski. Grandfather of two.
SHEA, Ruby M. (Sweeney), 81, St. Peter, Harrison County, Oct. 23. Wife of Patrick Shea. Mother of Glen Shea. Sister of Naomi Sweeney. Grandmother of one.
SHOWALTER, E. Anne, 68, St. Bridget, Liberty, Nov. 12. Mother of Cassandra Schibley, Derrick, Scott and Steven Showalter. Sister of Ellen Rogers, Jerry and Timothy Boyce. Grandmother of two. Step-grandmother of one.
SPIGGLE, Carolyn S., 64, St. Bernadette, Indianapolis, Nov. 7. Wife of Ralph Spiggle. Mother of Jeffrey and John Spiggle. Sister of Elnora Beachnau, Mary Early, Rosie Swift, Paul, Richard and Thomas Becher. Grandmother of three.
WHITAKER, Florence L., 71, St. Barnabas, Indianapolis, Nov. 7. Wife of James Whitaker. Mother of Tammy Mercer, Cheri, James and Michael Whitaker. Daughter of Frank and Thelma (Waas) Bova. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of two.
YEKER, Rose Lee (Haering), 80, St. Paul, Sellersburg, Nov. 13. Wife of John Yeker Jr. Mother of Becky Eiler, Janet Lovan, Anthony and John Yeker III. Grandmother of seven. Step-grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two. Step-great-grandmother of five.
Holy Cross Brother Pedro Haering was a principal
Holy Cross Brother Pedro Haering, a longtime teacher and administrator, died at Dujarie House in Notre Dame, Ind., on Oct. 12 after an extended illness. He was 85.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Oct. 15 at St. Joseph Chapel on the grounds of Holy Cross Village in Notre Dame. Burial followed at the order’s St. Joseph’s Cemetery on the village grounds.
Harold Haering was born on June 1, 1923, in Evansville, Ind.
He attended St. Benedict School and Reitz Memorial High School, both in Evansville, and graduated with honors as the valedictorian of his class.
He worked at a drugstore and a factory office in Evansville before joining the Brothers of Holy Cross at Watertown, Wis., in 1941.
He made his first profession of vows at St. Joseph’s Novitiate in 1943 and his final profession of vows in August 1946.
Brother Pedro graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 1947 then earned a Master of Arts degree at Notre Dame in 1951.
He was dedicated to the instruction, counseling and formation of youth.
He taught for four years at Central Catholic High School in South Bend, Ind.
In 1951, he moved to Indianapolis, where he served as the assistant principal and then principal of Cathedral High School for seven years.
In 1959, he was appointed principal of Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio, where he served for three years.
In 1962, Brother Pedro was named Supervisor of Education for the Diocese of Cleveland. He served in that ministry for three years and taught at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio.
Brother Pedro spent many summers as director of the Notre Dame Summer Camps for youth at Bankson Lake in Michigan.
He later ministered as the director of the Second Novitiate Program in Akron for the Holy Cross Brothers during the summer months.
In 1965, Brother Pedro was named superior and director of Dujarie Scholasticate then moved to the Holy Cross Brothers Center as superior and director of James Hall for five years.
He also served as a mathematics instructor at Holy Cross Junior College for four years.
In 1975, he returned to Indianapolis to again serve as president and principal of Cathedral High School until 1979, when he spent a year researching the history of the private Catholic boys’ school.
In 1980, Brother Pedro returned to Notre Dame to serve as superior of the Dujarie House Infirmary for nine years.
For years, he published the order’s News Notes and served as a disk jockey for WSND-FM.
In 2003, his health worsened and he moved to Schubert Villa, the extended care facility at Holy Cross Village.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Brothers of Holy Cross, P.O. Box 460, Notre Dame, IN 46556.
Ellen Ginther was the mother of Father Rick Ginther
Ellen Ginther, a member of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral Parish in Indianapolis and the mother of Father Rick Ginther, died on Nov. 20 at the St. Augustine Home for the Aged in Indianapolis. She was 92.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Nov. 25 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. Burial followed at Our Lady of Peace Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Ellen (Reel) Ginther was born on Oct. 7, 1916, in Lawrenceville, Ill.
She was the widow of Martin Ginther, and was a member of the Altar Society at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Indianapolis and the Ladies of Charity. She also served as a Girl Scout leader and Cub Scout leader.
Surviving are six children, Frances Crawford, Martha Reinert, Mary Ginther-Oss, Esther, John and Father Rick Ginther, the pastor of St. Patrick and St. Margaret Mary parishes in Terre Haute. She is also survived by 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Little Sisters of the Poor at the St. Augustine Home for the Aged, 2345 W. 86th St., in Indianapolis or the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Franciscan Sister Mary Xavier Grieshop was a teacher
Franciscan Sister Mary Xavier Grieshop died on Oct. 1 at St. Clare Hall, the health care facility for the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, in Oldenburg. She was 100.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Oct. 3 at the motherhouse chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Anna Hildagarde Grieshop was born on March 24, 1908, in Batesville.
She entered the Oldenburg Franciscan community on June 27, 1938, and professed her final vows on Aug. 12, 1944.
Sister Mary Xavier
taught at St. Joseph School in Shelbyville, the former St. Joseph School in Jennings County and the former Holy Trinity School in Indianapolis.
In 1941, Sister Mary Xavier began teaching business classes at the former St. Mary Academy in Indianapolis.
Sister Mary Xavier also taught business classes at Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis.
She also ministered as a teacher at Catholic high schools in Ohio.
Sister Mary Xavier entered semi-retirement at the Oldenburg motherhouse in 1984, where she served in the order’s Archives Office until retiring from active ministry in 1993.
Surviving are one sister, Bertha Hoelker of Batesville, and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036. †