Obituaries

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Fr. John F. Krebs

Pastor Emeritus

Father John F. Krebs, 86, died on Feb. 28, his birthday. He was pastor emeritus of St. Bede Parish, Ingleside.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. Mary of the Lake School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1957.

He was assistant pastor at St. Benedict (Irving Park Road) (1957-1964); St. Albert the Great, Burbank (1964-1968); Transfiguration, Wauconda (1968-1974); and Santa Maria del Popolo, Mundelein (1974-1979). 

He was pastor of St. Benedict Parish (1979-1992) and the associate pastor of Santa Maria del Popolo for a year before being named pastor of St. Bede (1993-2002). He was given the title of pastor emeritus when he retired.

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Deacon George Lambert

Class of 1975

Deacon George A. Lambert of Plainfield, 91, died March 13. He was ordained in 1975 and had served at St. Eulalia, Maywood, before retiring.

Deacon Lambert was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and worked for Argonne National Laboratory for 34 years.

He is survived by his wife, Teresa, and his children: Father Curtis Lambert, pastor of St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish, Prospect Heights; Paul Lambert; Judi Lambert; and Dan Lambert; five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. 

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Sr. Doris Recker

Educator, chaplain

Sister of St. Francis of Dubuque Doris Marie Recker, 80, died Jan. 11.

She was born in Iowa and had recently celebrated 60 years in religious life.

She ministered as a teacher and as a hospital chaplain, and had assignments in Iowa and Minnesota as well as Illinois. 

She served at Mater Christi, North Riverside; St. Christopher, Midlothian; St. Elizabeth Hospital; Loyola Medical Center, Maywood; and Palos Community Hospital, Palos Heights; and she volunteered at St. Christopher School and the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Christopher Parish in Midlothian, where she resided for 40 years.

She is survived by her siblings Phyllis Burget, Ellen Desbiens and Donald Ricken.

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Fr. Michael Bonner

Missionary, pastor

Divine Word Father Michael Bonner, 80, died Feb. 23 in Techny. He was a champion of the pro-life cause and served as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Chicago for a quarter of a century.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. Francis de Sales School and Mendel Catholic High School before transferring to the Divine Word Brothers Candidate School in Techny.

After his ordination in 1966, he was sent to the Philippines where he served in parish and school ministries for 25 years. In 1991, Father Bonner returned to the United States to become pastor of St. Benedict the African Parish. Three years later, he was assigned to St. Bronislava, and in 2004, he was installed as pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Wheeling, where he served until he retired in 2016.

As a seminarian in Techny, Father Bonner taught seventh-grade religion at St. Joseph the Worker.

He is survived by two brothers, James and John Bonner.

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Sr. Mary Ernest Rothe

Educator

Sister Mary Ernest Rothe, BVM, 90, died March 5 in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Born in California, she entered the BVM congregation in 1946 and professed final vows in 1954.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary Ernest taught elementary school at Our Lady of Angels and Our Lady Help of Christians. She also ministered in Arizona, Missouri and California.

She is survived by siblings Ernest Rothe, Frank A. Rothe and Lorraine Schneider.

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Sr. Martha Steidl

Educator

Providence Sister Martha Steidl, 92, died March 12 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Paris, Illinois, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1945 and professed final vows in 1953. 

She ministered for 25 years in schools in Indiana, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.  In 1973, she joined the music faculty at Saint Mary of the Woods College.  

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Francis Xavier, Wilmette (1948-1950), and Mother Theodore Guerin High School, River Grove (1966-1973).

She is survived by two brothers, Frank Steidl and Walter Steidl.

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Sr. Joan Newhart

Educator

BVM Sister Joan (Joan Michael) Newhart, 89, died March 13 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Oak Park, she entered the BVM congregation in 1949 from St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Oak Park. She professed final vows in 1957.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Joan taught at the Immaculata and Carmel Catholic High School, Mundelein. She served as Mundelein College’s director of academic computing and as coordinator for Loyola University Chicago’s computer center. She volunteered for many years as a congregational and high school computer consultant in the Chicago area as well as in Dubuque. She also taught secondary school in South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri and Colombia. 

She is survived by a brother, George Robert (Bob) Newhart, and sisters Pauline Qua and Virginia Brittain.

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