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)
BACK, Gloria, 85, St. Michael, Brookville, Feb. 13. Mother of Gene Back. Grandmother of three.
BAN, Frank J., 99, Mary, Queen of Peace, Danville, Feb. 10. Husband of Velta Ban. Father of Gerald, Joseph and John Ban. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of seven.
BELL, Ruth Modine (Cottingham), 90, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jeffersonville, Feb. 7. Mother of Patricia Villier and Timothy Cottingham. Sister of E.C. Miller. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of 13.
BRAUNBECK, T. Marie (Tinius), 95, St. Mary, New Albany, Feb. 21. Mother of Betty Blum and James Braunbeck. Sister of Rose Block, Margaret Gunther, Frank and George Tinius. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of five.
COFFMAN, Helen Frances (Murray), 94, St. Rose of Lima, Franklin, Feb. 16. Mother of Samuel Coffman. Sister of Martha Miller. Grandmother of seven. Great-grandmother of 11.
CONNER, Sara, 67, St. Paul, Tell City, Feb. 18. Mother of Kathy Poole, Kimberly Jackson, Jerry and John Smitson Jr. Sister of Roxanne Simpson and Thomas Lasher. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 13.
DAUBY, Hettie M., 93, Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Jeffersonville, Dec. 23. Wife of Edward Dauby. Mother of Margaret Ball, Mary Catherine Thompson, Dorothy Wycoff, Benedictine Sister Agnes Marie Dauby, Benedictine Sister Rosemary Dauby, John, Leo and Paul Dauby. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of 10.
DiROCCO, Dorothy F., 80, St. Paul the Apostle, Greencastle, Feb. 8. Wife of Robert DiRocco. Mother of Kenneth and Robert DiRocco. Sister of Eleanor Schlick and Lillian Steiniger. Grandmother of two. (correction)
FIRSICH, Kathryn R., 90, St. Mary, Greensburg, Feb. 14. Mother of Rosie Daeger, Sharon Osburn, Darlene Riedeman and Janet Wilmer. Sister of Ruth Denson, Charles, Garnet, Paul and Stanley Kuntz. Grandmother of nine. Great-grandmother of 14.
GALM, Edward Joseph, 85, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, Jan. 3.
GRAVES, John, 47, St. Paul, Tell City, Feb. 17. Brother of Chris Hussmann, Becky Maxey, Kitty and Sarah Graves.
HARROLD, Francis B., 94, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Feb. 12. Father of Mary Jane Warner, Francis Jr. and Leo Harrold. Grandfather of eight. Great-grandfather of five.
HENDRICKS, Kathleen, 87, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Feb. 16. Mother of Anita Socks. Sister of Frank and Lt. Gen. Thomas Montgomery. Grandmother of three. Great-grandmother of eight.
HURRLE, Rose E., 86, St. Matthew, Indianapolis, Feb. 5. Mother of Toni Davisson, Theresa Dossett, Donna Nunley, Patricia Smith, Margaret, Mary Ann, Bill and Steve Hurrle. Sister of Ann Noblet and Bernard Hession. Grandmother of 22. Great-grandmother of 13.
HUTH, Gerald B., 77, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyds Knobs, Feb. 11. Husband of Diane (Seymour) Huth. Father of Carol Mitchell, Sharon Sullivan, Kathleen Willis and Gerald Huth II. Brother of Mary Reed, Raymond and Richard Huth. Grandfather of seven.
KELLER, Louis Edward, 86, St. Anne, New Castle, Feb. 16. Husband of Mary Ellis Keller. Father of Sheila McMullin, Jerry and Larry Keller. Grandfather of four. Step-grandfather of two. Great-grandfather of six.
KELLY, Dorothy Louise, 69, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Feb. 8. Sister of Patricia, Bill and C. Bob Kelly.
KRAUS, Rose M., 79, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Feb. 12. Mother of Jeanie Northrop, Mary Ann Waterman, Kevin, Steve and Tony Kraus. Grandmother of 10.
LAMBERT, Philip B., 71, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Feb. 11. Husband of Patricia Lambert. Father of Todd Lambert. Brother of Jim and Tim Kern, and Bob and Tom Lambert. Grandfather of one.
MARLIN, Morris Wayne, 95, Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Jeffersonville, Jan. 20. Father of Beverly Burgess, Cynthia Grant, Gary, James, Patrick, Richard and Robert Marlin. Brother of Geraldine Jenson and Madge Wilson. Grandfather of 18. Great-grandfather of 11.
Oldenburg Franciscan Sister Charlyne Wolff was a missionary in Papua New Guinea for 26 years
Franciscan Sister Charlyne Wolff, formerly Sister Patricia Ann, died on Feb. 7 at St. Clare Hall, the health care facility for the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, in Oldenburg. She was 86.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 10 at the motherhouse chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Charlyne was born on Feb. 14, 1924, in Dayton, Ohio.
She entered the Oldenburg Franciscan community on Sept. 8, 1939, and professed her final vows on Aug. 11, 1945.
Sister Charlyne taught at Catholic grade schools and high schools in Indiana and Ohio.
She also ministered as a teacher in Papua New Guinea for 26 years.
In the archdiocese, Sister Charlyne taught at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in New Albany, Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis and the convent Aspirancy in Oldenburg.
From 1966-70, she served as the postulant mistress for the Oldenburg Franciscans.
In 1979, Sister Charlyne began her missionary work, and served at Tari High School, Holy Trinity College, Xavier Institute and Nazareth House of Prayer in Papua New Guinea.
She retired in 1996, and returned to the motherhouse in Oldenburg, where she resided at St. Clare Hall.
Surviving are a sister, Mary Corrigan of Indianapolis, and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036.
Sister Marie Jeanne Ranallo was a Little Sister of the Poor for 40 years at homes in 13 cities
Little Sister of the Poor Marie Jeanne Ranallo died on Feb. 19 in Newark, Del. She was 64.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Bishop W. Francis Malooly of Wilmington, Del., on Feb. 25 at the Jeanne Jugan Residence Chapel in Newark. Burial followed at Cathedral Cemetery in Wilmington.
Jeanne Marie Ranallo was born on Jan. 28, 1947, in St. Paul, Minn.
She entered the Little Sisters of the Poor and pronounced her vows on March 19, 1970.
Sister Marie Jeanne celebrated her 25th jubilee while ministering to the elderly poor at the St. Augustine Home for the Aged in Indianapolis in 1995.
Throughout her life as a Little Sister, she spent many hours developing special relationships with communities and benefactors as each home’s development coordinator and primary begging sister.
Most recently, Sister Marie Jeanne served the elderly poor at the Little Sisters’ homes in New Orleans, Cleveland, Newark and Indianapolis.
Residents at nine other homes operated by the Little Sisters were blessed to share in her devotion to St. Jeanne Jugan and her commitment to assisting the elderly poor.
Sister Marie Jeanne had been in ministry at the Jeanne Jugan Residence in Newark since August of 2007.
She served at the St Augustine Home for the Aged in Indianapolis from 1992 until 2001.
As she made her begging rounds each day, Sister Marie Jeanne would offer her thanks by promising prayers for benefactors.
“God bless you for your kindness,” she would tell people. “We will pay you in prayer!”
She is survived by her mother, Pauline Vanasse; four sisters, Patti Jo Frazer, Richelle Kuhl, Kathryn McMonigal and Mary Ritt; eight nieces and nephews; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Jeanne Jugan Residence, 185 Salem Church Road, Newark, DE 19713.
Charity Sister Mary Robers served as a teacher, principal and director of religious education
Charity Sister Mary Robers, formerly Sister Mary Assumpta, died on Feb. 11 at Mother Margaret Hall, the nursing facility at the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati. She was 77.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 17 at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in Cincinnati. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery there.
Mary Rose Robers was born on Nov. 6, 1933, in Cincinnati.
Sister Mary earned a bachelor’s degree in education at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati and master’s degree in religious education at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
She studied administration and counseling at Miami University of Ohio, Xavier University in Cincinnati and the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana.
Sister Mary ministered as a Sister of Charity for 59 years, and served as a teacher, principal, director of religious education, and Hispanic ministry language instructor at Catholic schools and parishes in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia.
In the archdiocese, Sister Mary served as the director of religious education at St. Mary Parish in Aurora from 1988-93. She received an American Red Cross volunteer award for tornado assistance during this time.
Surviving are five brothers, Bill, Dan, Don, Joseph and Tom Robers; three sisters, Sue Bucheit, Lois Shipp and Ann Thompson; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Retirement Fund, 5900 Delhi Road, Mount St. Joseph, Ohio 45051. †