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)
ANDRES, David E., 83, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, March 8. Husband of Kay Andres. Father of Janet Cavanaugh and Julie Dorr. Brother of Jim and Tom Andres. Grandfather of five.
BLAHUNKA, Amanda N., 22, SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi, Greenwood, March 12. Daughter of Dave and Cindy Blahunka. Sister of Krista and Evan Blahunka. Granddaughter of Joy Molter.
BROOKS, Sally, 83, St. Ambrose, Seymour,
March 22. Mother of Elizabeth McTighe, Susan Stuckwisch and Tom Brooks. Sister of Jack, Joe and Mike Miller. Grandmother of five.
BRUNO, Jr., Nicholas J., 85, St. Mary, Greensburg, March 21. Husband of Mary Elizabeth Bruno. Father of Juli Foran, Jim and Mike Bruno. Brother of Maureen Nicolai. Grandfather of seven. Great-grandfather of two.
DOTI, Donna, 98, St. Joseph University Parish, Terre Haute, March 14. Mother of Roseanne Davis, Maria, Brian, David, Dean, John and Rob Doti. Grandmother of 16. Great-grandmother of 12.
DREW, David E., 61, St. Lawrence, Lawrenceburg, April 20, 2024. Father of Justin Drew. Son of Jerry and Nancy Drew. Brother of Amy and Mike.
DUNBAR, Melvin, 79, St. Peter, Franklin County, March 18. Father of Bethany Hartman, Melanie Lindsey, Michael and Nicholas Dunbar. Brother of Judy Ellis and Wayne Dunbar. Grandfather of 12. Great-grandfather of eight.
GETTELFINGER, Frances, 90, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarksville, March 19. Wife of Rex Gettelfinger. Mother of Diane and Alan Gettelfinger. Sister of Margaret Smith and Marabeth Thomas. Grandmother of three.
KNUTSON, Joan M., 92, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, Dec. 17, 2024. Mother of Kathy Ryan, Beth Wood, Colleen, Eric, Mike, Pat and Scott Knutson. Sister of Jean Morfas and Mary Wojtowich. Grandmother of 15.
Great-grandmother of seven.
KNUTSON, Robert A., 92, St. Pius X, Indianapolis, June 6, 2023. Husband of Joan Knutson. Father of Kathy Ryan, Beth Wood, Colleen, Eric, Mike, Pat and Scott Knutson. Grandfather of 15. Great-grandfather of seven.
MILLER, Paul J., 78, St. Joseph, Corydon,
March 24. Husband of Sarah Miller. Brother of Dorothy Graham and Dennis Miller.
PASTOR-ESPANA, Javier, 51, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis, Feb. 19. Father of Nayeli, Daniel and Mario Pastor. Son of Francisco Pastor and Elfega Espana.
PATRICK, Linda, 77, St. Joseph University Parish, Terre Haute, March 16. Sister of Randy Patrick. Aunt and great-aunt of several.
PERRY, Edwin R., 85, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis,
Feb. 15. Husband of Mary Katherine Perry. Father of Emily Goddard, Charlene, Bryan and Kevin Perry. Grandfather of six. Great-grandfather of four.
RENDER, Mary Jane, 81, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, March 18. Mother of Allison Porter and Meredith Render. Grandmother of two.
SCHLOSSER, William, 65, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower), Indianapolis, March 14. Father of Maxine, James, Joseph and William Schlosser. Son of Beverly Creamer. Brother of Rob Butler and Bart Schlosser. Grandfather of seven.
SCOTT, Donald, 87, St. Joseph University Parish, Terre Haute, May 27, 2023. Husband of Susan Scott. Father of Shannon Scott McGinnis, Courtenay, Megan and Donald Scott. Brother of Barbara Scott Obenchain. Grandfather of 11.
Great-grandfather of three.
THORN, Pauline, 80, St. Michael, Cannelton,
March 17. Mother of Danielle Corley, Paula Howell, Pat Luther, Gary and Rick Smith. Sister of Ann Craig, Cathy Frank, Janice McGraw, Helen Merrick, Alice Popham, Donny, Gerald, John, Larry and Raymond Wethington. Grandmother of 18.
Great-grandmother of 18.
WEEKLY, Annie L., 87, All Saints, Dearborn County, March 19. Sister of Rita Alig. Aunt of several.
WHITE, Julie M. (Young), 65, St. Lawrence, Indianapolis, March 14. Wife of William White III. Mother of Andrea Sherwin and William White. Sister of Monica Jones, Patricia Young, Michael, Noah and Philip. Grandmother of six.
WILDER, Jeffrey L., 71, St. Jude, Indianapolis,
March 12. Father of Alex, Evan, Jeffrey, Jr., and Marcus Wilder. Brother of Debbie Cothron, Cheryl Pendick,
Greg and Larry Wilder. Grandfather of three.
Providence Sister Joan Mary Schaefer served in Catholic schools for 46 years
Providence Sister Joan Mary Schaefer, a member of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, died on March 20 at Mother Theodore Hall on the campus of her religious community’s motherhouse. She was 95.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 29 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at the motherhouse in St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Burial followed at the sisters’ cemetery.
Sister Joan Mary was born on Feb. 7, 1930, in Cicero, Ill. She entered the Sisters of Providence on July 22, 1948, and professed final vows on Jan. 23, 1956.
Sister Joan Mary earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a master’s degree in education at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
During her 76 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence, Sister Joan Mary ministered as an educator in Catholic schools for 46 years in California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts and Missouri. After retiring from full-time ministry in education in 1998, she continued to serve as a substitute teacher in and around Chicago. In 2017, she returned to live at the motherhouse where she served her religious community in a number of ways.
In the archdiocese, Sister ministered at the former St. Ann School in New Castle from 1951-53, St. Mary School in Richmond (now St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School) from 1954-55 and the former St. John the Evangelist School in Indianapolis from 1956-59.
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. †