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)

ADKINS, Carolyn, 80, St. Paul, Tell City, Jan. 2. Wife of Bob Adkins. Mother of Tierney Robinson, Sabrina Woolley, Aaron and Weston Adkins. Sister of Mary Ruth Raaf and Rita Schroeder. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of one.

ALLEN, Steven T., 78, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, Jan. 3. Husband of Sandra Allen. Father of Dorothy Vanderpohl, Sarah and Scott Allen. Brother of Stanley Allen. Grandfather of three.

BEST, Mary Lynn, 76, St. Mary, Greensburg, Jan. 11. Wife of Robert Best.

BIXLER, Emma L., 93, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, Dec. 30. Mother of M. Catherine Valentine. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two.

BLUE, Virginia, 93, St. Paul, Tell City, Jan. 9. Mother of Patty Dixon and Jeff Blue. Sister of Bill and Don Schum. Grandmother of three. Great-grandmother of several.

BROWN, David, 70, St. Ambrose, Seymour, Dec. 28. Husband of Mary Brown. Father of Kyle Brown. Brother of Judy Turner, Joe and Leland Brown. Grandfather of two.

BROWN, Harriett (Carter), 85, SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Indianapolis, Jan. 10. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of one.

BRUCKMAN, Dr. Joseph, 88, Holy Family, New Albany, Dec. 20. Husband of Billie Bruckman. Father of Kathleen Clark, Deborah and Christopher Bruckman. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of three.

BRUNS, Delores M., 89, St. Mary, Greensburg, Jan. 5. Mother of Kathy Flinn, Marjorie, Michael and Steven Bruns. Sister of Marieda Koors and Sheldon Hoeing. Grandmother of 10.

CARMONA, Juan A. Rocha, 38, St. Mary, New Albany, Dec. 16. Husband of Carina Zavala. Father of Gael, Mia, Sucy, Antonio and Christopher Rocha. Son of Juan Rocha Perez and Cleotilda Carmona Macias. Brother of Araceli, Maria de Los Angeles, Veronica, Zuleica, Bernardo, Luis and Mario Rocha.

CSAKANY, John, 81, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Jan. 2. Father of Michelle Mullen. Brother of Maryann Csakany. Grandfather of one.

FISHER, George Ann, 72, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Jan. 4. Wife of James Fisher. Mother of Amanda Capps and Abigail Fisher. Sister of George Gunning. Grandmother of seven.

FRY, Elizabeth J., 81, St. Mary, Rushville, Jan. 7. Mother of Anna Jo Richards, A.J. and Tom Fry. Sister of Jean Oesterling, Bill, John and Tony Weidner. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of one.

GODOY-MARTINEZ, Frances V., 41, St. Anthony, Indianapolis, Dec. 15. Mother of Nictahet Godoy and Jorge Alvarez. Daughter of Alejandro Godoy Esparza. Sister of Hugo, Jorge, Juan and Ricardo Godoy.

GRANNAN, James W., 88, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Indianapolis, Dec. 20. Husband of Jeanette Grannan. Father of Jealyn Verhines. Grandfather of five. Great-grandfather of three.

HECKMAN, Rosemarie, 97, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Jan. 9. Mother of Joan Hatfield, Kathy Minor, Peggy Moore, Mary, Chuck and Joe Heckman. Grandmother of 15. Great-grandmother of 24.

KIRKHOFF, Jr., George F., 94, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Jan. 2. Father of Joan Brown, Patsy Havens, Susan Sweezy, George III and James Kirkhoff. Grandfather of 14. Great-grandfather of 27.

LINCOLN, Mary J., 76, Holy Family, New Albany, Jan. 7. Wife of Don Lincoln. Mother of Angi Van Berg and Matt Lincoln. Sister of Mark, Michael, Patrick and Robert Jenkins. Grandmother of four.

MAXWELL, Mary E., 79, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Dec. 18. Wife of Richard Maxwell. Mother of Jarred and John Maxwell. Sister of Josephine Kerr and Rose Tapella.

MEDLOCK, Jr., William, 71, St. Mary, New Albany, Jan. 2. Father of Joshua Medlock. Brother of Michelle Thomas, Daniel and Steven Medlock.

MICHAELIS, William F., 85, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Dec. 26. Brother of Beth Beadle, Debby Busfield, JoAnne Carter, Rosemary Ryan, Lee and Rick Michaelis. Uncle and great-uncle of several.

MORRISON, Richard P., 95, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Dec. 30. Father of Michele Darragh and Timothy Morrison. Brother of Christine Pierle, Rosemary Schritz and Edward Morrison. Grandfather of three. Great-grandfather of three.

MUNCHEL, Brenda, 70, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Cambridge City, Jan. 5. Wife of Thomas Munchel. Mother of Elizabeth Pitcock, Brian and Christopher Munchel. Sister of Cheryl Perry, Susan Wesseler, James and Michael Singer. Grandmother of eight.

NEYENHAUS, Charles E., 77, St. Paul, Tell City, Jan. 11. Father of Charlene Neyenhaus-Moureau, Regina Sandage and Tim Neyenhaus. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of five.

PESTA, John, 80, St. Ambrose, Seymour, Sept. 5, 2023. Husband of Maureen Pesta. Father of Abigail and Jesse Pesta.

PICTOR, Henry A., 85, St. Louis, Batesville, Jan. 9. Father of Janna Irrgang, Katherine Martin, Amy, Daniel and James Pictor. Brother of Thyra Fulayter, Anna, Virginia and Thomas Pictor. Grandfather of 14. Great-grandfather of two.

PREWITT, Kacy L., 42, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Dec. 17. Mother of Adrianne, Cameron and Riley Prewitt, Jackson Morlan and Yate Prent. Daughter of Charlie and Sue Prewitt. Sister of Haley and Matt Prewitt.

RENE, Christine R., 97, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Dec. 24. Mother of Toni Czenkusch, Shellie Lindgren and Concetta Palamara. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of five.

RILEY, Raymond F., 92, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, Jan. 5. Husband of Barbara Gallagher. Father of Ann Marie Goedde, Cindy Rosswurm, Jeanne Watson, Dan and John Riley. Brother of William Riley. Grandfather of 14. Great-grandfather of six.

ROESSLER, Ineta (Aliff), 96, St. Mark the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Jan. 6. Mother of Karen Bloomfield, Nancy Cullom, Kathy Haycox, Alisa Nix and Gary Roessler. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of six. Great-great-grandmother of seven.

ROSEMAN, Casy, 44, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Jan. 6. Daughter of Stephen and Lee Roseman. Sister of Sean and Steve Roseman.

SCHOETTLE, Therese M., 70, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Jan. 16. Wife of Mark Schoettle. Mother of Jason, Jeremy and Ryan Schoettle. Sister of Sue Delaney and Larry Pfeiffer. Grandmother of eight.

SEUFERT, Shirley, 83, St. Michael, Brookville, Jan. 3. Sister of Cletus and Tom Seufert. Aunt of one.

SPRINKLE, Pat, 76, St. Augustine, Leopold, Jan. 11. Wife of Jim Sprinkle. Mother of Michelle Duncan and Brett Sprinkle. Sister of Sharon Gutierrez, Anna Snyder, John, Stan and Steve Austin. Grandmother of one.

STEEB, Susan, 72, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Dec. 14. Wife of Ken Steeb. Mother of Amanda Medlock and Scott Steeb. Sister of Patty Eck, Mary Jo Fox, Bill Hank and Jim Richardson. Grandmother of one.

Benedictine Father Louis Hacker served as abbot of Corpus Christi Abbey in Sandia, Texas

Benedictine Father Louis Hacker, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, died on Jan. 10 at the monastery. He was 69.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Jan. 15. Burial followed at the Archabbey Cemetery.

Father Louis was a jubilarian of monastic profession, having celebrated 46 years of monastic profession.

Father Louis was born on Feb. 25, 1954, in Caldwell, Idaho, and given the name Dick Evande at his baptism. He grew up in Boise, Idaho, and, after completing his high school education, worked for three years with the Idaho Public Library.

Father Louis was invested as a novice of the former Corpus Christi Abbey in Sandia, Texas, on Aug. 15, 1975. He professed simple vows on Jan. 31, 1977, and perpetual vows on Jan. 31, 1980.

Father Louis received priestly formation at the college and theology levels in schools in Louisiana, Texas and Minnesota. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Saint Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, La., and a master of divinity degree at St. John’s School of Theology in Collegeville, Minn. Father Louis was ordained a priest on Dec. 28, 1985.

He was elected abbot of Corpus Christi Abbey on Jan. 10, 1997, and received an abbatial blessing on March 8, 1997. In addition to serving in leadership in his community, Father Louis also served as a guest master, librarian, cook and as a chaplain at a U.S. Navy air station.

He resigned as abbot on Aug. 20, 2002. After the abbey closed later that year, Father Louis provided sacramental assistance in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas. He soon began the process of transferring his monastic stability to Saint Meinrad Archabbey and was received by Saint Meinrad’s monastic chapter on March 10, 2008.

After joining Saint Meinrad, Father Louis assisted in the monastery’s sacred music and vocations offices, as a presider at Mass in the infirmary chapel and as a confessor in the infirmary and for retreats and individual pilgrims. He also edited the monastery’s weekly “Community Bulletin” and was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus.

Father Louis is survived by two brothers, Robert Hacker of Boise, Idaho, and Vernon Hacker of Nampa, Idaho.

Memorial gifts may be sent to Saint Meinrad Archabbey, 200 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN 47577. †