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)
ATKINSON, Marie E., 90, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, March 27. Mother of Anita McMahon, Jeanne Norton, Barbara Ockomon and Mary Ann Atkinson. Sister of Charles Habig. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of 20.
BILLINGS-REINA, Thelma R., 95, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Indianapolis, March 16. Mother of Roberta Stadtmiller and S. Richard Billings. Sister of Leona Hurst and Betty McDermont. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 12.
BORDENKECHER, Anita M., 81, St. Jude, Indianapolis, March 24. Sister of Pauline Graf, Carolyn Hines, Margaret Kennedy, Phyllis Metzler, Joseph, Norman and William Bordenkecher.
BORDENKECHER, Charles Walter, Sr., 79, Mary, Queen of Peace, Danville, March 19. Father of Barbara Lehman, Ruth Snider, Nancy Wheelock and Charles Bordenkecher Jr. Brother of Pauline Graf, Carolyn Hines, Margaret Kennedy, Phyllis Metzler, Anita, Joseph, Norman and William Bordenkecher. Grandfather of 11.
CONSTANTINO, Mary Lucille, 75, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Indianapolis, March 21. Mother of Patricia Borzabadi, Antoinette Martin and Dan Constantino. Sister of Lola Carter, Marie Cross, Ruth Norman, Rita Paitson, Kay Sauer and Linda Sutherland. Grandmother of 12. Great-grandmother of two.
TODARO, Daniel R., Jr., 18, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyds Knobs, March 27. Son of Daniel Todaro Sr. and Laurie (Cahill) Balmer. Brother of Nathan and Ryan Todaro. Grandson of Joseph and Joan Cahill, Joan Miller and Frank Todaro.
WIMSATT, Joseph Robert, 67, St. Mary, Navilleton, March 24. Husband of Theresa (Fink) Wimsatt. Father of Kristie Pellman, Linda, Bill, John, Mike and Robert Wimsatt. Brother of Joan Foster, Esther Fredericks, Mary Paul, Maureen Pierce, Sheila Schmidt, Jean Tevis and Rita Tooley. Grandfather of seven.
P. Robert Bonke, the father of Father James Bonke, volunteered at Good Shepherd Parish in Indianapolis as the business manager
P. Robert Bonke, a member of Good Shepherd Parish in Indianapolis and the father of Father James Bonke, died on April 1 in Indianapolis. He was 88.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on April 7 at Good Shepherd Church in Indianapolis. Burial followed at Calvary Cemetery in Indianapolis.
He was born on July 14, 1922, in Indianapolis.
He graduated from Manual High School in Indianapolis in 1940 then enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942. He served as an aviation machinist mate, and was stationed in Hawaii until his discharge in 1945.
He attended the Dwyer School of Business to learn accounting, which became his life’s work. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Marian University in Indianapolis in 1980.
He married Margaret Raftery on Aug. 21, 1943. She died on Jan. 19, 2008, after 64 years of marriage.
He was a charter member of St. James the Greater Parish in Indianapolis, which later became Good Shepherd Parish.
He served the Church in many capacities through the years, and spent his retirement years as the volunteer business manager and bookkeeper at Good Shepherd Parish.
He was a charter and life member of the Knights of Columbus Council #3660 in Indianapolis.
Surviving are five children, Mary Augsburger of Woodbridge, Va.; Anne Keller of Kendall Park, N.J.; Peggy McNelis of Spartanburg, S.C.; Jeanne Wagner of Indianapolis; and Father James Bonke of Indianapolis; as well as nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Good Shepherd Parish, 2905 Carson Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46203.
Franciscan Sister Joan Elise Smith was a teacher, librarian
Franciscan Sister Joan Elise Smith, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg, died on March 24 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. She was 83.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 29 at the motherhouse chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Helen Louise Smith was born on Jan. 23, 1928, in Dayton, Ohio.
She entered the Oldenburg Franciscan community on Sept. 8, 1946, and professed her final vows on Aug. 12, 1952.
Sister Joan Elise served as a teacher, librarian and media instructor at Catholic grade schools and high schools in Indiana and Ohio.
She taught at the Academy of the Immaculate Conception in Oldenburg as well as in Evansville, Ind.
Sister Joan Elise also ministered in Indianapolis at Holy Trinity School, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) School, Marian University and the Hispanic Apostolate in the archdiocese.
She also served at the Batesville Deanery Resource Center until her retirement in 2008.
Surviving are three sisters, Dorothy Colwill of Wickliffe, Ohio; Eleanor Gardner of Hebron, Ohio; and Ruth Sweeney of Springfield, Ohio; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036. †