Obituaries

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Fr. John J. Rochford

Pastor emeritus

Father John J. Rochford, 96, died June 1 at Palos Community Hospital, Palos Heights. He was pastor emeritus of St. Emeric Parish, Country Club Hills.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. Joachim School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1947.

Father Rochford served as assistant pastor at St. Mark, St. Bartholomew and St. Raymond de Penafort, Mount Prospect between 1947 and 1966.

He was then chaplain at Alexian Brothers Hospital, now Amita Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center, in Elk Grove Village, for six years before being named pastor of St. Emeric Parish in 1972. He was named pastor emeritus in 1991.

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Fr. James A. Colleran

Pastor emeritus
Father James A. Colleran, 80, died June 2. He was pastor emeritus of St. Mary of the Lake Parish, and a resident at The Admiral at the Lake nursing home.
Born in Chicago, he attended St. Ignatius School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1963.
Father Colleran served at St. Bonaventure, St. Vitus Parish on Paulina Street, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Mary of the Lake Parish. He was named pastor emeritus in 2007.
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Sr. Ann Ida Gannon

Mundelein College president

BVM Sister Ann Ida Gannon, 103, died June 3, in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Chicago, she entered the BVM congregation in 1932, from St. Jerome Parish and professed final vows in 1940.

Sister Ann Ida was a professor at Mundelein College, Chicago, where she later served as president from 1957 to 1975. In Chicago, she also taught at St. Mary High School and St. Ferdinand and St. Charles elementary schools.

Beyond her academic responsibilities, she participated in the governance processes of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1960 she was the youngest chapter delegate participating in the election of the congregation’s leadership.

She received numerous awards, including the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, and 26 honorary degrees.

She is survived by a sister, Benedictine Sister Joan Gannon.

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Br. Patrick Hegarty

Supported missionaries

Divine Word Brother Patrick Hegarty, 97, who helped to make Ireland’s The Word one of the country’s most successful magazines, died on May 28.

Born in County Galway, Ireland, in 1921, he was the eldest of six brothers. After finishing school, he worked as an apprentice at a general store in Kilsallagh, Galway, before joining the Society of the Divine Word at St. Patrick’s College, Donamon Castle, Roscommon, in 1944. 

Brother Patrick worked in Great Britain during the 1950s, at Divine Word College in Rome in the early 1960s and in the United States thereafter. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, he sold greeting cards and The Word magazine; in the U.S., he sold altar wine produced at a Divine Word winery.

In 2006 at age 85, Brother Patrick moved to Bordentown, New Jersey, to retire. Fluent in German, Italian and Spanish, he volunteered at the Trenton Diocesan Office for Migrants and Refugees in Perth Ambry, New Jersey. While there, he helped hundreds of immigrants from South and Central America navigate the immigration system. 

He moved to Techny in 2009.

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Sr. Leopold Kaufmann

Educator

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Leopold Kaufmann, 95, died May 29 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, she made her first religious profession in 1942 and her final profession in 1945. She taught elementary students for 40 years and served as finance officer for 13 years, secretary to the prioress of the congregation for six years, and sacristan for five years. Sister Leopold served in Illinois, New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Leopold taught at St. Sabina (1942-1943); Immaculate Conception, Waukegan (1944-1957, 1968-1970); and St. Vincent Ferrer, River Forest (1965-1968).

She is survived by a brother, Denis Kaufmann.

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Sr. Mary O’Donnell

Educator

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary (Mary Colum) O’Donnell, 88, died June 6.

Born in Massachusetts, Sister Mary made her first religious profession in 1956 and her final profession in 1959. She taught math and physics for 56 years, serving in a high school and colleges. Sister Mary ministered in Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan and Mississippi.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary taught at Rosary College/Dominican University, River Forest (1961-1970, 1971-1980 and 1984-2000). She served as lab instructor at University of Illinois at Chicago (2001-2005) and tutor at Malcolm X College (2001-2015).

She is survived by two sisters, Elizabeth Berry and Annie Burch; and a brother, John O’Donnell.

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Sr. Jeanne Granville

Educator

BVM Sister Jeanne (Suzette) Granville, 90, died June 10 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in St. Louis, she entered the BVM congregation in 1947.

From 1950 to 1982, Sister Jeanne taught elementary school in the Archdiocese of Chicago at St. Callistus; St. Ferdinand; St. Joseph; and St. Dorothy, where she was principal; St. Eulalia in Maywood; St. Joseph in Round Lake; and she was principal at Seven Holy Founders, Calumet Park. 

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