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)

BRUCE, Pamela A., 73, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Jan. 9. Wife of Lt. Col. Larry Bruce. Mother of Margaret Bowman Coons, Charles and Robert Bowman. Stepmother of Laura Monroe, Lisa Piper and David Bruce. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of four.

CISSELL, Joan, 81, St. John the Apostle, Bloomington, Jan. 13. Mother of Lisa North, Christina Pauley, Grace and Don Cissell. Sister of Grace Tennant, Janice and Pete Rasche. Grandmother of nine.

CURLEY, Doris (Moss), 91, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, Jan. 13. Mother of Kathy Buskill. Sister of James Moss. Grandmother of three. Great-grandmother of four.

DEVORE, John R., 78, St. John Paul II, Clark County, Jan. 2. Husband of Gladys DeVore. Father of JoHanna McKinley, Douglas and John DeVore, Jr. Brother of Mary Ann Hasselback, Helen Henderson, Jeanie McKinley and Joseph DeVore. Grandfather of five. Great‑grandfather of nine.

DIXON, Patricia L. (Green), 86, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, Jan. 8. Wife of James Dixon. Mother of Elizabeth Brydon, Mary Lacy, Barbara Saunders and Michael Dixon. Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 16.

FLECK, Melissa A., 65, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Jan. 7. Wife of Robert Fleck. Mother of Katie Smyk and Sarah Fleck. Daughter of Paul Bogeman. Sister of Vicki Leak and Elizabeth Bogeman. Grandmother of three.

FLODDER, Arlene M., 72, St. Louis, Batesville, Jan. 12. Mother of Lisa Benjamin, Jerri Ann Hixson, Cynthia Wood and Wenda Woolf. Sister of Jackie Fledderman, Judith Tonges and Daniel Flodder. Grandmother of 11. Great‑grandmother of four.

GORMAN, Cuthbert P. Jr., 86, St. Luke the Evangelist, Indianapolis, Dec. 23. Father of Chris and Stephen Gorman. Grandfather of nine. Great‑grandfather of four.

HIRES, Ellen Jean, 80, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Jan. 17.

HOLZER, Carl W., 92, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Jan. 12. Father of Cindy Newhouse. Brother of Betty McElroy. Grandfather of one.

HUMBLES, Eugene V., Jr., 64, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Oct. 23. Husband of Nelly Humbles. Brother of Donna Fuss, Gail Lester and Wayne Humbles.

KIGHTLINGER, Helen, 89, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Jan. 8. Mother of Cathy and Drew Kightlinger. Sister of Mary Martin and Glenn Burton. Grandmother of two. Great‑grandmother of two.

KRININGER, Jack, 83, Holy Family, New Albany, Dec. 27. Husband of Janet Krininger. Father of Kelly Diedrich, Keith and Kirk Krininger. Brother of Joe Krininger. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of nine.

KRUER, Robert F., 78, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, Dec. 28. Husband of Mary Kruer. Father of Leneita Jackson, Dan, Jeff and Tim Kruer. Brother of

Marilyn Biszmaier, Faye Bobowski, Diane Szerletich, Dennis, Marvin and Tom Kruer. Grandfather of nine. Great‑grandfather of four.

MCKINNEY, Thelma H., 81, Good Shepherd, Indianapolis, Jan. 11. Mother of Tina Creech, Janet Feeney, Randol and Thomas McKinney, Jr. Grandmother of 11. Great‑grandmother of 20.

MERKEL, Thomas W., Jr., 88, Holy Family, Oldenburg, Jan. 11. Husband of Florence Merkel. Father of Lois Johannigman and Gary Merkel. Stepfather of Alton, Roger and Ronald Evans. Brother of Leo Merkel. Grandfather of 10. Great-grandfather of 12.

MORGAN, Mary Ann, 64, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Dec. 29. Mother of Teresa and Brian Morgan. Sister of Rita Allen, Bonnie Murr, Donna Robb and Frankie Peyton. Grandmother of four.

NORTHAM, Virginia, 75, St. Mary, Rushville, Jan. 12. Mother of Jennifer McAtee and Janice Hartwell. Sister of Debbie Rains and Jack Land. Grandmother of five. Great‑grandmother of six.

O’BRYAN, William, 88, Holy Family, New Albany, Jan 4. Husband of Rosemary O’Bryan. Father of Mary Bradford, Patricia Phillips, Glenn, Lawrence, Stephen, Timothy and William O’Bryan. Grandfather of 23. Great‑grandfather of 11.

O’NEAL, Robert, 76, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Jan. 5. Husband of Myrna O’Neal. Father of Michelle Stohler and Kevin O’Neal. Brother of Mary Ann and John O’Neal. Grandfather of five.

PABERZS, John, 82, Christ the King, Indianapolis, Jan. 4. Husband of Sharon Paberzs. Father of Christopher and John Paberzs. Grandfather of three.

PROCTOR, Gerry L., 74, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Albany, Jan. 8. Wife of Walter Proctor. Mother of Julie Sanders and Jody Proctor. Sister of Holly Williams. Grandmother of two.

RUBUSH, Lucille R., 79, St. Michael, Brookville, Jan. 13. Mother of Kim Roemer, Bruce, Carl and Donald Rubush. Sister of Doris and Phyllis Bischoff, Shirley Lynch and Richard Geiling. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of three.

SCHRODER, Evelyn R., 76, St. John Paul II, Clark County, Jan. 11. Mother of Laura Beyerle, Cindy Kruer and Rick Schroder. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of three.

SILVERS, Elizabeth, 84, St. Gabriel, Connersville, Jan. 15. Mother of Connie Blevins, Darryl and Donald Silvers. Grandmother of six.

SMITH, Yondell C., 76, St. Mary-of-the-Knobs, Floyd County, Jan. 12. Husband of Mary Regina Smith. Father of Kym Williams. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of six.

STALLARD, Donald B., 85, Holy Family, New Albany, Jan. 15. Husband of Mary Stallard. Father of Donna and Scott Stallard. Grandfather of one. Great-grandfather of one.

TRIMBLE, Janet, 76, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Richmond, Jan. 9.

ULRICH, Francis R., 95, St. John Paul II, Clark County, Dec. 11. Uncle of several.

VAN NOTE, Robert T., 74, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Jan. 8. Husband of Mary Ann Van Note. Father of Penny Hopkins and Daniel Van Note. Brother of Wilma Jenkins and Ester McDaniel. Grandfather of three. Great-grandfather of two.

WILLS, Larry L., 83, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, Jan. 7. Father of Karen Kinder, Mary Shaler, Patricia and Larry Wills II. Grandfather of two. Great‑grandfather of five.

WRIGHT, Lorietha, 57, Holy Angels, Indianapolis, Jan. 10. Mother of Cory Fisher, Andrea, Leona, James and Jeremy Wright. Daughter of Leonard and Raven Marrow and Ramona Williams. Sister of Pamela Guinyard, Diana Mimms, Roberta Williams, Eric and Keith Morrow. Grandmother of nine.

Benedictine Father Rupert Ostdick held monastic leadership positions

Benedictine Father Rupert Ostdick, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, died on Jan. 14 at the monastery. He was 95.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Jan. 17. Burial followed at the Archabbey Cemetery.

Father Rupert was a jubilarian of monastic profession, having celebrated 72 years of monastic profession. He was also a jubilarian of ordination, having celebrated 68 years of life and ministry as a priest

Howard Otto Ostdick was born on Nov. 14, 1921, in Elgin, Ill.

Father Rupert entered Saint Meinrad’s former Minor Seminary in 1939, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1943. He was invested that same year as a novice at Saint Meinrad Archabbey.

He professed temporary vows on Aug. 10, 1944, and solemn vows three years later. He was ordained a priest on May 18, 1948.

Father Rupert held many leadership positions in the monastery, including for 31 years as its treasurer and seven as business manager. During this same period, he provided spiritual direction at Saint Meinrad College.

He served as general manager of the monastery’s Abbey Press from 1979-91.

Father Rupert ministered as the monastery’s subprior (third in leadership) from 1986-91 and in other periods as novice master for clerics, pastoral liaison for the monastery’s co-workers, an assistant in its human resources department and a member of the monastery’s vocations department.

For the past 16 years, he ministered as a confessor for Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology and served on the Abbot’s Council and other monastery committees.

Surviving are sisters Marjorie Banker and Mary Burnell of Elgin, Geraldine Mistretta of Carpentersville, Ill., and School Sister of Notre Dame Sister Patricia Ostdick of Chicago and a brother, Bruce Ostdick of Elgin.

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