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)
FATH, Barbara G., 88, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, Aug. 2. Mother of Donna Miller, Denise Quinnette, Kevin, Kyle, Scott and Steve Fath. Grandmother of 17. Great‑grandmother of 10.
FOOR, Robert G., 96, St. Joseph, Rockville, July 23. Father of Joan, Christopher, Douglas, John, Robert and Thomas. Grandfather, great‑grandfather and great‑great-grandfather of several.
GAITHER, Donna J. (Cattin), 87, St. Roch, Indianapolis, Aug. 3. Mother of Cheryl, Donald, John, Michael, Thomas and William. Sister of Kay Martin. Stepsister of Gary and Terry Cattin. Grandmother of 22. Great-grandmother of 22.
GREENWOOD, Herman E., 77, St. Christopher, Indianapolis, July 24. Husband of Yolanda Greenwood. Father of Deanna Garner, Jason, Mark and Matthew Greenwood. Grandfather of four.
HUFFINE, Brian J., 55, Christ the King, Indianapolis, July 28. Husband of Cheryl Huffine. Father of Abbie Freytag, Lauren Rainwater and Holly Huffine. Brother of Laurie and Sally Breen, Amy Lezon, Joe, Matt, Nick, Rich and Steve Huffine. Grandfather of one.
JOHNSON, Pamela (Salvatore), 77, Christ the King, Indianapolis, May 31. Wife of Douglas Johnson. Mother of Genene Murphy. Sister of Flora Wilsker. Grandmother of two.
MUELLER, Pamala A., 73, Holy Cross, Indianapolis, July 23. Mother of Greta Johnson and Olin Tygum. Sister of Wanda Lekies and Carla Soderberg. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two. Step‑grandmother of seven.
PANGALLO, Jan M., 55, St. Jude, Indianapolis, July 29. Mother of Alyssa Barnekow and Jenna Johnson. Daughter of Judy List. Sister of Julie Warweg, Jeff and Jim List. Grandmother of four.
ROCCHIO, Sharon S., 69, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), July 16. Wife of Pasquale Rocchio. Mother of Anna Tait, Francesco, Michael and Nicholas Rocchio. Sister of Jill Ellis and Charlaine Schmidt. Grandmother of eight.
SARTINI, Eugene A., 88, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, Aug. 3. Father of Toni Sartini Schmidt, Gino, Jr., Joe and Nick Sartini. Stepfather of Shelly and Billy. Grandfather of 13. Great‑grandfather of eight.
SCHULTZ, Alvin J., 85, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, July 31. Father of Marie Marks and James Schultz. Grandfather of six. Great‑grandfather of three.
SWEETANA, Andrew, Jr., 89, St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington, July 31. Husband of Constance Sweetana. Father of Susan Armstead, Andrea McCampbell and Stephanie Sweetana. Brother of Stanley Sweetana.
TEMPEL, Jerome, 67, St. Paul, Tell City, July 27. Husband of Linda Tempel. Father of Dawn Kelley, Carrie and Jeremy Tempel. Brother of Sherri Wigginton, Dan, Greg, Pat and Terry Tempel. Grandfather of six.
ZINSER, James A., 84, All Saints, Dearborn County, July 30. Husband of Marlene Zinser. Father of Marilyn Hountz, Luann Konradi, Daniel and Ronald Zinser. Brother of Joyce Rush and Bob Zinser. Grandfather of five. Great‑grandfather of three.
Franciscan Sister Mary Ann Miles served as an organist, in music education for decades
Franciscan Sister Mary Ann Miles, formerly Sister Hobart, died on Aug. 5 at the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg. She was 92.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 8 at the Motherhouse Chapel in Oldenburg. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Mary Ann was born on April 29, 1927, in Cincinnati. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis on Sept. 8, 1945, and professed final vows on Aug. 12, 1951. Sister Mary Ann earned a bachelor’s degree in music at Marian University in Indianapolis and a master’s degree in music at the Jordan College of Music at Butler University, also in Indianapolis.
During 74 years as a Sister of St. Francis, Sister Mary Ann ministered as a music educator for 50 years in Catholic schools in Indiana and Ohio. She also served as an organist in her various assignments and at the motherhouse for 65 years.
In the archdiocese, Sister Mary Ann served at St. Louis School in Batesville from 1947‑50, and in Indianapolis at the former Holy Trinity School from 1954-59 and at St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) School from 1959‑63. She ministered at the Oldenburg Academy of the Immaculate Conception in Oldenburg from 1968-73 and 1982-97. She served as a communications clerk at the motherhouse from 1991-2012, at which time she retired from ministry.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, IN 47036-0100.
Providence Sister Barbara Ann Zeller began ministries for the elderly in New Albany Deanery
Providence Sister Barbara Ann Zeller, formerly Sister Dorothy Jean, died on Aug. 1 at a convent in Georgetown. She was 73.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 6 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Barbara Ann was born on Sept. 18, 1945, in Evansville, Ind. She entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Sept. 12, 1963, and professed final vows on Aug. 15, 1974.
Sister Barbara Ann earned a bachelor’s degree at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods and a master’s degree at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas.
During her 56 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Barbara Ann ministered briefly in Catholic education before dedicating herself to ministry to the elderly.
In the archdiocese, she served at her community’s motherhouse as director of retirement from 1971-75, the administrator of its infirmary in 1976, and director of gerontology and executive director of Maryvale Apartments, subsidized housing near the motherhouse, from 1979-81. Sister Barbara Ann ministered as an administrative assistant for archdiocesan social ministries from 1976-78.
Beginning in 1982, Sister Barbara Ann served as administrator of Providence Retirement Home in New Albany. That ministry continued until 1994. A year later, she founded Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries, which began as a home for foster children. It later expanded to include an array of ministries in nearby Georgetown: the Villas of Guerin Woods, a retirement facility, subsidized housing at the Meadows of Guerin and Guerin Woods, a reunification program for mothers and children. She was serving as the president and CEO of Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries at the time of her death.
Sister Barbara is survived by two sisters, Marilyn Lankford of Evansville and Pam Reine of Indianapolis, and a brother, Bruce Zeller of Carmel, Ind.
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.
Helen Staublin, 89, mother of Father Daniel Staublin, died on Aug. 5
Helen R. (Kocher) Staublin, the mother of Father Daniel Staublin, pastor of St. Ambrose Parish in Seymour, died on Aug. 5 at IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. She was 89.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 12 at St. Ambrose Church in Seymour. Burial followed St. Ambrose Cemetery in Seymour.
Staublin was born on Jan. 2, 1930, in Harrison, the daughter of Fred and Rose Kocher. At the time of her death, she was a member of St. Ambrose Parish. Previously, she was a member of St. Bartholomew Parish in Columbus.
Staublin is survived by her husband William Staublin; her children Nancy Morgan of Glasgow, Ky., Jenny O’Bryan of Mason, Ohio, Julie Settle of Columbus, Father Daniel Staublin, David Staublin of Elizabethtown and Tony Staublin of Scipio, Ind.; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Ambrose Parish, 325 S. Chestnut Street, Seymour, IN 47274-2329.
Rita Fritsch, 95, mother of Father Michael Fritsch, died on Aug. 6
Rita (Deal) Fritsch, the mother of Father Michael Fritsch, pastor of Mary, Queen of Peace Parish in Danville, died on Aug. 6 at Union Hospital in Terre Haute. She was 95.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 10 at Annunciation Church in Brazil. Burial followed at Clearview Cemetery, also in Brazil.
Fritsch was born on Nov. 28, 1923, in Brazil. A lifelong member of Annunciation Parish, she was a 1942 graduate of Brazil High School. Fritsch worked in Indianapolis for the Indiana State Highway Department, the national headquarters of the American Legion and the Indiana Department of Forestry.
It was in her work as secretary in the last of these jobs that she met her future husband, Lee Fritsch. The two were married on Jan. 23, 1954, and eventually had two children, their sons Donald Fritsch of Brazil, and Father Fritsch, both of whom survive. Lee Fritsch died on April 29, 2003.
Fritsch enjoyed going out dancing with her husband and cooking, especially holiday treats and candies she offered to family and friends. She and her late sister, Providence Sister Dorothy Deal, loved traveling as a pair, taking more than 30 trips together. †