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)

ABEL, Patricia Ann, 81, Most Holy Name of Jesus, Beech Grove, Sept. 14. Mother of Donna DiSano, Pam Everitt, Pat Massimini, Joan Showalter, Ed and Steve Abel. Grandmother of 17. Great-grandmother of 13.

ANSPAUGH, Frederick, 72, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, Aug. 28. Husband of Lou Anne Anspaugh. Father of Christopher, Douglas, Jeffrey and Rodney Anspaugh. Grandfather of nine.

BARBARICH, Sophie, 94, Holy Trinity, Indianapolis, Sept. 8. Sister of Mary Barbarich.

BREUNIG, Anna Marie, 78, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Sept. 13. Mother of Brenda Hayes, Nancy Pyle and Tim Breunig. Sister of Kathleen Ellis, Mary Willman, Bernard, John and Michael Seifert. Grandmother of 11.

BURRIER, Dale George, 67, St. Agnes, Nashville, Sept. 2. Husband of Janice Burrier. Father of Elizabeth Meek and Rebecca Wehrle. Grandfather of three.

CROSSEN, James B., D.D.S., 72, former member of St. Michael the Archangel, Indianapolis, Sept. 7. Husband of LaDawn Crossen. Father of seven surviving children. Brother of Barbara Wesling. Grandfather of 18.

ECKSTEIN, Herbert, 81, St. Nicolas, Sunman, Aug. 18. Husband of Marceda Eckstein. Father of Donna, Kevin, Larry, Nick and Philip Eckstein. Brother of Leonard and Mark Herbert. Grandfather of six.

ELIASON, Donald, 90, Holy Family, Richmond, Sept. 13. Father of Kathy Huntington, Beth King, Donna Pay, Rebecca and Doug Eliason. Grandfather of 14. Great-grandfather of 17.

EMERSON, Elfrieda T. (Steffen) McCain, 91, former member of Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood, Aug. 29. Mother of Ann Albertsen, Joyce Smith, Judith Williams and David McCain. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of 21. Great-great-grandmother of four.

ENGLE, Juanita M., 85, St. Mary, New Albany, Sept. 3. Mother of Jan Burks and Karen Wells. Sister of Delores Krementz. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of 10.

FLETCHER, George Hardy, 81, St. Barnabas, Indianapolis, Sept. 1. Husband of Eleanor Fletcher. Brother of Gail Hayes and Bruce Fletcher. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of five.

GIBSON, Alois Eugene, M.D., 78, St. Thomas Aquinas, Indianapolis, Sept. 9. Husband of Jean Gibson. Father of Susan Albert, Karen Ruhl, Dan, David, Mark and Paul Gibson. Brother of Erna Meert. Grandfather of six.

GIGAX, Geneva, 100, St. Matthew the Apostle, Indianapolis, Aug. 30. Mother of Connie, Penny and Ken Gigax.

GONZALES, Fidel, 88, St. Joseph, Indianapolis, Sept. 4. Father of Linda Brewer, Anna Martin, Juanita Shamblin and Mickey Juan Gonzales. Brother of seven.

HERBERT, Melvin, 75, St. Mary, Rushville, Sept. 10. Husband of Belinda Herbert. Father of Candy Dougherty and Wanda Pile. Brother of Jane, Mary and Paul Herbert. Grandfather of four. Great-grandfather of nine.

HOLLKAMP, George Patrick, 70, St. Joseph, Clark County, Sept. 16. Husband of Ivy (Robinson) Hollkamp. Father of Patty Bringle and Barbara Renners. Brother of Phyllis Burkholder, Wilma Smith, Elizabeth Williams, Norma and Eugene Hollkamp. Grandfather of three.

JOHNSON, Linda (Rodgers), 65, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jeffersonville, Sept. 6. Wife of Edward Johnson, Mother of Carol Edwards, Tami Lyons, Coley Rodgers, Kimberly Taylor, Sandra and Donald Johnson. Sister of LaVerne Dooley. Grandmother of 10. Great-grandmother of three.

KELP, Dallas Norman, 77, St. Agnes, Nashville, Sept. 1. Husband of Barbara Brown. Father of Ann Johnson, Andrew, Dak and Kris Kelp. Stepfather of Tammy Roberts, Teresa and Tim Brown. Brother of Maxine Hedrick, Mary Snale, Julie Schroeder, Don, Jerry, Jim and John Kelp. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of five.

KIRKHOFF, Susann M., 76, St. Jude, Indianapolis, Sept. 13. Wife of Robert Kirkhoff. Mother of Marni Fey, Jeff, Kevin, Mark and Mike Kirkhoff. Sister of Karen Evans and Thomas Eckstein. Grandmother of 14.

KNOTT, Mabel, 84, Sacred Heart, Clinton, Sept. 10. Mother of Karen Judson, Patricia Steward and William Knott Jr. Sister of Joseph Melega. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of 16.

KURDZIEL, Chad Allen, 42, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, July 23. Father of Jake and Sam Kurdziel. Son of John and Sheri Kurdziel. Brother of Tanya Boyer and Adam Kurdziel. Grandson of Charles and Ruth Kurdziel.

LACLAVE, Helen Agnes, 102, St. Matthew the Apostle, Indianapolis, Aug. 20. Mother of Helen Jilbert, John, Joseph and Thomas Laclave. Grandmother of 14. Great-grandmother of 13. Great-great-grandmother of three.

LALLY, Alice C., 84, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Sept. 11. Mother of Sharon Jenkins, Edmond, Kevin and Michael Lally. Grandmother of 14. Great-grandmother of eight.

LORENZ, George Joseph, 94, St. Joseph, Shelbyville, Sept. 7. Husband of Helen Marie (Fleming) Lorenz. Father of Richard and Robert Lorenz. Grandfather of two.

Providence Sister Jane Marie Osterholt recently served on congregation’s leadership team

Providence Sister Jane Marie Osterholt died on Sept. 14 while en route from Union Hospital in Terre Haute to Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 68.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Sept. 19 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery at the motherhouse.

Mary Jane Osterholt was born on Sept. 3, 1944, in Celina, Ohio.

She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence on Sept. 17, 1962, and professed her first vows on Aug. 15, 1965, and final vows on Sept. 16, 1973.

Sister Jane Marie earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, master’s degree in religious studies at Marygrove College in Detroit, and doctorate in ministry and theology at the University of St. Mary-of-the-Lake in Mundelein, Ill.

During 50 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered as a teacher at Catholic schools for eight years then served as a religious education teacher.

In the archdiocese, Sister Jane Marie taught at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Indianapolis from 1967-68.

After earning her doctorate, she also ministered as a consulting author with Harcourt religious publications, and was a frequent speaker at conferences on catechetics.

The focus of her catechetical work was the formation of children’s spiritual lives.

In 2006, Sister Jane Marie was elected to a five-year term on the congregation’s leadership team. Last year, she enjoyed sabbatical time.

Surviving are six sisters, Theresa Dirig of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Nancy Hessler of Payne, Ohio; Karen Palmer of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Agnes Osterholt-Polston of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Ruth Ann Proctor of Alachua, Fla.; and Audrey Woods of Sugar Land, Texas.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence, 1 Sisters of Providence Road, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. †