Deacon Joseph Tony “Butch” Valdez, 68, died April 7. He was ordained in 2014 and served at St. Martha Parish, Morton Grove.

Deacon Valdez was an accountant.

He is survived by his siblings: Father Mario, a priest; Reuben; Daphne; and Grant.

Providence Sister Rosemary (Mary Luke) Eyler, 93, died March 30 at Providence Health Care in Indiana.

Born in Indiana, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1949 and professed final vows in 1956. She earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and two master’s degrees from Indiana State University in education and administration.

She ministered in education for 57 years in Indiana, Illinois, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, before retiring in 2008.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Angela (1951-1956).

Sister Rosemary is survived by a brother, Thomas Eyler, and a sister, Margaret McCafferty.

Sister of Sts. Cyril and Methodius M. Jacqueline Ziobro, 93, died in Danville, Pennsylvania, on March 30.

She entered the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in 1948 and professed vows in 1951.

Sister Jacqueline earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She taught kindergarten through eighth grade, was a math and reading tutor and was a librarian. Her ministry teaching took her to Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

After she retired, Sister Jacqueline loved to tell stories of years in ministry, especially about serving in Chicago and South Carolina.

Sister Jacqueline is survived by her sister, Gloria.

Sister of St. Joseph-Third Order of St. Francis Cecilia Zielen, 91, of Bartlett, died April 3.

From St. Fidelis Parish in Chicago, she was a member of the congregation for 73 years.

She taught biology, earth science and religious education in elementary and high schools in Illinois, helping her students participate in statewide science fairs before retiring to Clare Oaks, Bartlett.

School Sister of Notre Dame Claire Marie (Barbara Mary) Czerwiec, 85, died Dec. 23, 2023, at Christ Hospital, Oak Lawn.

Born in Chicago, she was a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame for 65 years.

She served in Wisconsin and Illinois as an elementary school teacher, formation directress, pastoral associate, pastoral minister and counselor, in provincial leadership, and as a psychotherapist and spiritual director for more than 65 years.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Margaret of Scotland School, was a pastoral psychotherapist at the Institute for Living in Winnetka and was a pastoral counselor and spiritual director at St. Alexander Parish, Palos Heights

She is survived by her sisters Nancy Czerwiec and Carole Kuberski.

Little Sister of the Poor Clotilde de la Passion (Irene Mary Jardim), 83, died March 8 at St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly in Palatine.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, she moved to Oakland, California, with her family. She became familiar with the Little Sisters of the Poor during her high school years by volunteering in their Marian Aides program.

She entered the Little Sisters of the Poor as a postulant shortly after graduating from high school, and made her first profession of vows in 1961. She made her final profession in 1965.

During her life as a Little Sister of the Poor, she completed studies in nursing and served as a nurse in several of their homes for the elderly, often as the director of nursing.

Sr. Clotilde is survived by her brother, George Jardim, and her sister, Judy Jardim.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary Ellen (Marie Alphonse) Gevelinger, 80, died March 13 at her home in Madison, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, she made her first religious profession in 1963 and her perpetual profession in 1968. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin from Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest; a master’s degree in religious studies from Mundelein College; a master’s degree in educational administration from St. Xavier College (now Saint Xavier University); and a doctorate in education leadership from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Sister Mary Ellen taught at Queen of Peace High School, Burbank; and Trinity High School, River Forest; was dean of students at St. Thomas the Apostle High School and Unity Catholic High School; and was executive assistant to the president at Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest. She also ministered in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and was vicaress (2000-2006) and then prioress (2011-2016) of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary Lois (Thomaselle) Carey, 93, died March 19 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Mary Lois made her first religious profession in 1951 and her perpetual profession of vows in 1954. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest; a master’s degree in education and elementary administration from Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; and a master’s degree in applied theology from the School of Applied Theology, Berkley, California.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Sabina. She taught and was a principal at other schools in Illinois and in New York, Iowa and California.

She also ministered in Michigan and Washington.

She is survived by a brother, Mark Carey.

Father Terrence A. McCarthy, 85, died Feb. 24. He was pastor emeritus of Immaculate Conception Parish in Highland Park, now Christ Our Hope Parish.

Born in Calumet City, Father McCarthy attended Mendel Catholic High School and Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the army’s security agency from 1965 to 1967, before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was ordained in 1974.

Father McCarthy served as associate pastor of St. James, Highwood; and St. Marcelline, Schaumburg. He served as pastor of St. Anastasia Parish, Waukegan; and Immaculate Conception before being named pastor emeritus in 2008.

Father John Hurley, a classmate, said Father McCarthy was the oldest of his class. “He was well loved in all the parishes he served and was respected by all priests,” Hurley said. “He was known as a man of prayer and a powerful example, a man of inspiration.”

Father. Daniel R. Fallon, 74, died March 9. He was the former pastor of St. Cornelius Parish, now St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish.

Born in Chicago, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1976. He also earned a master of divinity degree at DePaul University.

Father Fallon was assistant pastor of St. Isaac Jogues, Niles, and associate pastor of St. Pascal, St. William and Our Lady, Mother of the Church, where he also served as pastor from 1996 to 2008. He was then pastor of St. Cornelius, where he served until his retirement in 2020.

Father Kenneth Fleck, former pastor of St. George, Tinley Park, remembered his classmate as a beacon of devotion to his parishioners. “With a quiet but serious demeanor, he served those entrusted to his care,” Fleck said. “His sermons were heartfelt reflections on our faith and their relevance to everyday life. He saw his priesthood as a vocation, not a job. In so doing, he touched countless lives leaving behind a legacy of compassion, kindness and faith.”