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)
BIRD, Janet Louise (Owen), 76, Prince of Peace, Nov. 21. Wife of Paul Bird. Mother of Julie and Trevis Bird. Sister of Wanda Jackson, Nancy Simmons, Bill and Ernie Owen, Melvin and Paul Randall.
BLANTZ, Sarita, 91, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Nov. 21. Wife of William Blantz. Mother of Celia Schook, Barbara Sferra, Christina Skees, Andrea Vedder, Sarah Anne Wildgoose, Michael and Stephen Wollenhaupt and Alison and Andrew Blantz. Grandmother of 12.
COOPER, Lillian E., 92, St. Augustine Home for the Aged, Indianapolis, Nov. 26. Mother of Jill Cooper, Annette Danielson, Stephanie Jones, Teresa McKamey, Donna Paxton, Eric Hickman, Torstein Degnes, Dan, James and Michael Cooper. Grandmother of 30. Great-grandmother of 15. Great-great-grandmother of one.
DUNCAN, Linda Diane (Cox), 66, Prince of Peace, Madison, Nov. 22. Mother of Sterling McCarty, Pam Morgan and Bridget Sullivan. Sister of Denise Hamburger, Don, Rick and Ron Cox. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of one.
FERENCAK, Phillip E., 76, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Nov. 22. Husband of Sonya Ferencak. Father of Alissa Lee. Grandfather of two.
FITZPATRICK, Susan E., 72, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jeffersonville, Nov. 20. Mother of Kelly, Sheri and John Ziegler. Sister of Rebecca Arthur and Katherine Bell. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of two.
GEARY, Thomas Emmet, 77, St. Patrick, Terre Haute, Nov. 16. Brother of Kathryn List and John Gibbons.
GEORGE, Micheal Joseph, Sr., 67, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Nov. 23. Husband of Bernice George. Father of Andrea Harman and Micheal George Jr. Grandfather of three.
GIOVANINI, Louis A., 75, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Nov. 19. Husband of Kathy Giovanini. Brother of Julia Hoffman and Joe Giovanini.
HOLEVA, Barbara A., 85, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, Nov. 4.
LAWRENCE, Della R., 90, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Nov. 17. Mother of Carolyn Baker. Sister of Clara Bedel. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two. Great-great-grandmother of one.
NAAMAN, Priscilla, 73, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, Nov. 1. Mother of James, Jason, Jeffrey and Joseph Naaman. Sister of Etta Swann, Bobby, Jack, Jerry and Raymond Ison. Grandmother of 11. Great-grandmother of three.
NOONE, John E., 87, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Nov. 24. Husband of Carolyn Noone. Stepfather of Barry and Brian Sweeney. Uncle of several.
O’CONNELL, John, 78, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Indianapolis, Nov. 20. Husband of Judith (Irving) O’Connell. Father of Susan Gragg, Catherine Patterson, Mary Ellen, Michael and Timothy O’Connell. Brother of Aileen Tansey and Mary Maigler. Grandfather of eight.
RAYMANN, Joseph Edward, Jr. 82, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Nov. 23. Father of Vicky Martin, Peggy Ridgway, Connie Stradling, Joseph III and Thomas Raymann. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of nine.
ROSS, Audra Ellen, 20, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Nov. 17. Daughter of Scott and Lisa (Wellman) Ross. Sister of Amelia, Emma, Ivan and Owen Ross. Granddaughter of Richard Ross, Ruth Ross, Tom Wellman and Nancy Wellman. Step-granddaughter of Linda Ross.
SHRINER, Martha J., 101, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Nov. 3. Mother of Patricia Long, Pamela Parsons and Michael Shriner. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 11.
SLUDER, Julie M., 43, St. Mary of the Assumption, Mitchell, Nov. 20. Wife of Kim Sluder. Stepmother of Robin Holmes and Candace Schofield. Daughter of Gene and Kerri Abel. Sister of Stephanie and Gregory Abel. Grandmother of three.
SPARKS, Jackie A., 77, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Oct. 27. Mother of Debbie Dorrell and Tim Sparks. Sister of Janice Donner. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of one.
SPARKS, Larry, 78, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Oct. 27. Father of Debbie Dorrell and Tim Sparks. Brother of James Sparks. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of one.
VERNIA, Charles C., 83, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Nov. 12. Father of Mary Ann Hoback, Joanie Ricke, Bob, Charles and John Vernia. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of one.
WEILEMAN, James E., 73, St. Michael, Brookville, Nov. 18. Husband of Patricia Weileman. Father of Jennifer Ebrens, Mark and Steven Weileman. Brother of June Williams. Grandfather of eight.
WILLETT, Mary Ruth (Beckham), 74, Prince of Peace, Madison, Nov. 21. Wife of James Willett. Mother of April Clifton and Karen Lewis. Sister of Martha Floyd, John and Martin Beckham. Grandmother of one.
Franciscan Sister Laurencia Listerman ministered for 50 years in Catholic schools
Franciscan Sister Laurencia Listerman died on Nov. 20, 2014, at the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg. She was 101.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Nov. 25 at the Motherhouse Chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Helen Ann Listerman was born on April 25, 1913, in St. Bernard, Ohio.
She entered the Sisters of St. Francis on Sept. 7, 1931, and professed final vows on July 2, 1937.
During 83 years as a Sister of St. Francis, Sister Laurencia ministered as an educator for 50 years in Catholic schools in Indiana, Missouri and Ohio. In the archdiocese, she served at St. Mary School in North Vernon, Oldenburg Academy of the Immaculate Conception in Oldenburg, the former St. Mary Academy and Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School, both in Indianapolis.
Beginning in 1984, she returned to the motherhouse and ministered to the retired sisters there. She dedicated herself to prayer beginning in 1996.
Sister Laurencia is survived by several nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg, IN 47036-0100. †