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)
ALLEN, Helen M., 82, St. Bartholomew, Columbus, May 27. Mother of Pamela Allen. Aunt of several.
BABBAGE, Norma, 83, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, May 29. Mother of Deborah Pappas and Craig Babbage. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of 11.
BARRAS Joseph, 75, St. Simon the Apostle, Indianapolis, May 31. Husband of Rita Barras. Father of Jeffrey, Joseph and Thomas Barras. Grandfather of nine.
BEDEL, Jeanette Elizabeth, 77, St. Louis, Batesville, May 28. Mother of Pat Ertel, Martha Roell and Jeff Bedel. Sister of Doris Prentice, Charles and Tim Bentfield. Grandmother of three.
BIANCHINI, George V., 78, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, May 22. Husband of Maxine Bianchini. Father of Laurie Corazza, Julie Haan, Terri Rodriquez and Gary Bianchini. Brother of Carol Daniels. Grandfather of eight.
BITTLE, Mary G., 97, St. Luke, Indianapolis, May 18. Mother of Mary Jane Lyons, James and Gregory Bittle. Grandmother of six.
BRUNS, Howard J., 92, St. Michael, Brookville, May 27. Husband of Mary Jane (Stout) Bruns. Father of Marcia Eggers, Lisa Holman, E. Marie Katz, Doris Tussey, Gerald and Glenn Bruns. Brother of Rosemary Cowan, Leona Kalb, Ruth Mergenthal and Ambrose Bruns. Grandfather of 13. Great-grandfather of two.
BRUNSMAN, Roberta C., 90, St. Nicholas, Sunman, May 18. Sister of Cleora Kuntz, Elmer, Joseph, Milton and Ralph Dierckman. Aunt of many.
BURKHART, Pauline Rose, 94, St. Michael, Brookville, May 21. Mother of Elizabeth Allen, Linda Grocox, Deborah Pierce, Mary Strohmier, Franciscan Sister André Burkhart, Dorothy, Charles, Donald and John Burkhart. Sister of Teresa Dudley and Anna Kuntz. Grandmother of 29. Great-grandmother of 44. Great-great-grandmother of two.
CONLEE, John Joseph, 83, Holy Family, New Albany, May 29. Husband of Peggy Conlee. Father of Diane Drumb, Kathy Miller, Cheri Teives and Susan Tracy. Stepfather of Kimberlee Eiler. Brother of LaVerne Jacobs. Grandfather of nine.
DAUBY, Joseph L., 67, St. Paul, Tell City, May 29. Husband of Alene (Lasher) Dauby. Father of Amy Ramsey, Cindy, Jim, Kevin and Neil Dauby. Brother of Anna Doogs and Frieda Kleaving. Grand-father of six.
EFFINGER, Florence Adam (Nauert), 95, St. Louis, Batesville, June 4. Mother of Alice Luers, Helen Prickel. Cecilia Schultz, Evelyn Seevers and Fran Effinger. Sister of Leona Suding. Grandmother of 13. Great-grandmother of 19. Great-great-grandmother of two.
GASPER, Bernard W., 76, St. Mary, North Vernon, May 21. Brother of Agnes Bloemer, Theresa Phares, Frances Richart and Leo Gasper. Uncle of
several.
GOOTEE, Mary R. (Schmitt), 91, St. Mark, Indianapolis, May 10. Mother of Mary Beth Malone and Peggy Woods. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of eight.
KRINER, Thelma J., 92, St. Mark, Indianapolis, May 12. Mother of Maryann, Rosemary, Donald and Robert Kriner. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of four.
KRYZANSKI, Theodore R., 65, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indian-apolis, May 13. Husband of Shirley Kryzanski. Father of Pamela Flemming, Jennifer, Brian and Keith Kryzanski. Brother of Michael Kryzanski.
LONG, Marianne C., 47, St. Joseph, Indianapolis, June 1. Daughter of Rose Mary Long. Sister of Theresa Bowerman, Joseph and Richard Long.
MASENGALE, John A., 81, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, May 26. Husband of Thelma Wells Calvert Masengale. Father of Jennettia Arney, Sarah Floyd, Mary Louise Lovell, Marsha Calvert Thiel, Mark Calvert, Jeffrey, John, Peter and Thomas Masengale. Brother of Bob and Harry Masengale. Grandfather of 20. Great-grandfather of nine.
MUSSIO, Gary M., 49, St. Jude, Indianapolis, May 30. Son of Victor and Marian (Guerrini) Mussio. Brother of Debra Duke and Vicki Teverbaugh.
NOE, Dorothy Lee, 86, St. Joseph, Indianapolis, May 30. Mother of Tina Rush, Cynthia Vibbert, Sharon West, Donald Despot and Stephen Noe. Sister of Bonnie Murray. Grandmother of 17. Great-grandmother of 26. Great-great-grandmother of one.
RAY, Petrina, 89, St. Mark, Indianapolis, June 6. Mother of Anna Lang and Anthony Ray. Sister of Santina Gallamore, Rose Polk, Anna Squillace, Joseph, Michael Jr. and Paul Bova. Grandmother of five.
RIESTER, Laverne, 89, Holy Cross, Indianapolis, May 29. Mother of Joy Jeffries and Bernard Riester. Grandmother of six. Great-grandmother of five.
ROELL, Albert C., 90, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Indianapolis, May 25. Father of Andrea, Alan and Anthony Roell. Grandfather of three.
ROHN, Dorothy B., 84, St. Paul, Tell City, May 26. Aunt of several.
SCHMELZ, Leonard C., 67, St. Mary, Lanesville, June 7. Husband of Martha (Heinze) Schmelz. Father of Charles, Daniel, Ted and Timothy Schmelz. Brother of Anna Geswein. Grandfather of seven.
SMITH, Mary A., 85, St. Vincent de Paul, Bedford, June 7. Sister of Eva Chase, Rose Dossen, Ann Lancaster and Margie Miller.
SMITH, Matthew James, 18, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Indianapolis, June 3. Son of Robert L. Smith Jr. and Cynthia (Geloff) Black. Stepson of Jeff Black. Brother of Michael and Stephen Smith. Grandson of Deenie Geloff and Robert L. Smith Sr.
Providence Sister Patricia Melton served at
St. Mary Parish in Rushville for 17 years
Providence Sister Patricia Melton, also known as Sister Leone Marie, died on May 25 at Mother Theodore Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 77.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on May 30 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
The former Patricia Rose Melton was born on July 5, 1928, in Linton, Ind.
She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Providence on July 22, 1944, professed first vows on Jan. 23, 1947, and professed final vows on Jan. 23, 1952.
During 61 years as a Sister of Providence, Sister Patricia taught kindergarten, elementary and high school students for 30 years at Catholic schools in Indiana, Illinois and New Hampshire.
Sister Patricia taught at St. Patrick School in Terre Haute in 1947-48, Holy Spirit School in Indianapolis from 1959-67 and Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Indianapolis from 1967-68.
She also taught at the former St. Agnes Academy in Indian-apolis from 1969-70, the former Ladywood Academy in Indianapolis from 1970-76 and the former Latin School in Indianapolis from 1976-78.
Sister Patricia also served at St. Mary Parish in Rushville as parish program coordinator, pastoral associate and administrator of religious education from 1979-82 and as director of religious education from 1982-96.
From 1997 until 2003, she ministered as coordinator of the Ladywood-St. Agnes Academy Alumnae Association in Indianapolis.
In 2003, Sister Patricia retired to the motherhouse and participated in the senior sisters’ prayer ministry.
Surviving are a sister, Mary Catherine Mack Chambers of Carmel, Ind.; an uncle and aunt, Charles and Dorothy Stuart of Indianapolis; and a cousin, Providence Sister Dorothy Deal of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. †