September 24, 2021

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)

BAKER, Joe, 49, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Aug. 2. Son of Jack Baker.

BAULT, Joanne L., 82, St. Anthony, Indianapolis, Sept. 13. Mother of Lisa Bault Ashcraft, Marianne Callahan, James, Luke and Matthew Bault. Grandmother of 23.

CONWAY, Thomas, 86, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Sept. 7. Husband of Mary Ann Conway. Father of Tina Conway Springer, Kelly Darnall and Shelly Myers. Grandfather of seven.

CRITNEY, Florence, 94, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Sept. 4. Mother of Margaret May, Diana Olmsted, John and Richard Critney. Sister of Della McGuire, Joseph and Robert Green. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 17. Great-great-grandmother of two.

DAVIS, Jonna K., 52, St. Peter, Harrison County, Sept. 7. Wife of David Davis. Mother of Allison, Christopher, John and William Davis. Daughter of Lora Edwards. Sister of Joey Edwards. Grandmother of six.

DIRKSEN, Rosemary L., 77, Prince of Peace, Madison, Sept. 8. Mother of Arlene Semon, Alan, Doug and Tim Dirksen. Sister of Anita and Marilyn Dirksen, Martha Hoying, Kathy Schultz, and Edna, Carl, John, Joe and Lester Hess. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of one.

DUNWOODY, Scott E., 48, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Aug. 26. Husband of Audrey Knuckles. Father of Erica, Makenna and Savannah Dunwoody.

EMRICH, Joyce A., 58, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Sept. 6. Wife of Roger Emrich. Mother of Jennifer Redfield. Sister of Mary Neffle, Daniel and Michael Crouch. Grandmother of three.

FIORINI, Leah B. (Hurt), 64, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, Sept. 4. Mother of Annette Bradbury and Natalie Fiorini. Daughter of June Hurt. Sister of Melanie Case, Larry and Steven Hurt. Grandmother of three.

GARDEWING, Rosemary, 90, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, Sept. 8. Aunt, great-aunt and great-great aunt of several.

HOLD, Richard P., 82, St. Joseph, Corydon, Sept. 12. Husband of Rose Marie Hold. Father of Wendy Chitwood, Sandra Morrison, Elaine Richardson, Louise Schenck and Carrie Whitehead. Brother of Marilyn and Sandy. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of six.

JAUREZ VAZQUEZ, Dulce, infant, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Aug. 23. Daughter of Guillermo Juarez Tello and Reyna Vazquez Cuenca.

LAWTON, Mary Ann, 90, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Aug. 29. Mother of Jennifer McNulty, Joyce, James and Joseph Lawton. Sister of Jane Bolinger. Grandmother of 12. Great-grandmother of three.

LOWE, Ming Lee, 51, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, Aug. 26. Husband of Lori Lowe. Father of Blake and Claudia Lowe. Son of Megan Lauren Lowe. Brother of Coryn Logue, Leslee Remsburg, Bryn, Joshua, Marc, Ming Jon and Sean Lowe.

MATHIS, Daniel, 75, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, Sept. 3. Husband of Mary Mathis. Father of Sara Fenwick, Melissa Hurley, Joy Mathis, Ann Selle and Jeff Johnson. Brother of Lori Swope and Paul Mathis. Grandfather of 16. Great-grandfather of six.

PEREZ, Maria G., 93, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Aug. 26. Mother of Beatriz Alday, Leonila Almaraz, Aurora and Maria Dominguez, Dolorez, Jovita, Maria E., Maria G., Serafin and Jose Perez. Sister of Teresa Garcia. Grandmother of 47. Great-grandmother of 89. Great-great-grandmother of 30.

PFAU, Betty 89, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, Aug. 1. Mother of Laura Blaase and Karen Pfau-Martinez. Sister of Phyllis Branch. Grandmother of four. Great-grandmother of two.

REES, Joseph C., 87, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Bright, Sept. 2. Husband of Anita Albertz. Father of Christine Beckroege, Margaret Lahmann, Andew, Patrick and Tim Rees. Grandfather of 21. Great-grandfather of five.

RINGWALL, Marjorie, 95, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Richmond, Sept. 11. Mother of Christine Duffy, Martha Kinnett and Carl Ringwall. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of six.

SCHLICK, Ailene F., 83, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, Sept. 4. Wife of Robert Schlick. Mother of Shannon Boler, Kelly Callen, Melinda Rice, Robbie Schlick, Lonnie Andrews, David Ellis and Robert Schlick II. Sister of David Schlick. Grandmother and great-grandmother of several.

THIELE, Donald E., 68, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Aug. 28. Husband of Carol Thiele. Father of Melanie Brewer, Marie Bunting, Michelle Jones, Jay Parshall, Jeff, Josh and Justin Thiele. Son of Cal Thiele, Sr. Brother of Debbie DePasquale, Dianne Morey, Susanne Sperback, Joseph DesRoches and Carl Thiele, Jr. Grandfather of 12.

TRI, JoAnn, 87, St. Malachy, Brownsburg, Sept. 10. Mother of Sharen Arney, Charlene Eubanks, Lynn Shipp, Sheila Tucker, Valerie Wilson, Dwayne and Kevin Tri. Sister of Dwight Faitz. Grandmother of 16. Great-grandmother of two.

VAUGHN, Margaret, 89, St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, Sept. 8. Mother of Patricia Clarkson, Theresa Dass, Brenda Sue Dotson, Linda Kumar, Mary Elizabeth Williams, David, James, Larry and Roy Barr. Grandmother of 18, Great-grandmother of 33. Great-great-grandmother of five.

WITTENAUER, Dr. James L., 84, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Aug. 23. Father of Pamela Bratton, Kent and Tim Wittenauer. Brother of Jean Eberhard. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of one.

WYCISKALLA, Rita F., 90, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Sept. 1. Mother of Jan Oullette, Michelle McDonnell, Laura Watts, Greg, Mark and Michael Wyciskalla. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of 16.

ZIEGELGRUBER, Rose Marie, 94, St. Paul, Tell City, Sept. 6. Mother of Polly Ellison, Dori Meyer, Debra Phillips and Mark Ziegelgruber. Sister of Jane Mayfield. Grandmother of 19. Great-grandmother of 47. Great-great-grandmother of 10.

ZIMMERMAN, Jr., Joseph C., 90, St. Louis, Batesville, Sept. 11. Brother of Louise Wells. Uncle of several. †


Franciscan Sister Bernetta Stuhrenberg served in parishes, Catholic schools

Franciscan Sister Bernetta Stuhrenberg (formerly Sister Antonella) died on Sept. 6 at the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg. She was 93.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Sept. 14 at the Motherhouse Chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.

Clara Helena Marie Stuhrenberg was born on Aug. 1, 1928, in Duncombe, Iowa. She and her family later moved to Millhousen where they were members of Immaculate Conception Parish.

Sister Bernetta joined the Sisters of St. Francis on Sept. 8, 1954, and professed final vows in on Aug. 12, 1960. She earned a business certificate at Miller’s Business College in Cincinnati and a bachelor’s degree in education at Marian University in Indianapolis.

During her 67 years as a member of the Sisters of St. Francis, Sister Bernetta ministered in Catholic education for 20 years in Indiana and Ohio. Beginning in 1976, she began service in Cincinnati in parishes, to the homebound and in bereavement. In 1999, Sister Bernetta returned to the motherhouse where she volunteered in the development office and to sisters in St. Clare Hall.

In the archdiocese, she served at St. Louis School in Batesville from 1956-57, at Holy Name of Jesus School in Beech Grove from 1957-60 and at St. Lawrence School in Lawrenceburg from 1961-66.

Sister Bernetta is survived by a sister, Rosemary Maschino of Hayden, Ind.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036-0100. †

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