Father John P. Smyth, 84, died April 16. He served at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines for more than 40 years.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. Genevieve, DePaul Academy and Quigley Preparatory Seminary. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1957 and turned down an opportunity to play in the National Basketball Association to pursue a vocation to the priesthood. He received a bachelor’s degree in theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in 1962 and was ordained the same year.

Following ordination to the priesthood, Smyth was assigned to Maryville Academy in Des Plaines and served there in a variety of roles for more than 40 years. During his time at Maryville, Smyth also served as the director of the Office of Catechesis and Youth Ministry from 1992 until 1995. In 2007, Smyth was appointed president of Notre Dame College Prep, Niles. He  served until 2014.

Resurrection Sister M. Virginia Tasny, 92, died March 6 at Resurrection Life Center.

She was born in Detroit and worked as a bank teller for six years before entering the congregation in 1950. She made final vows in 1956.

She spent many years teaching primary grades at schools including St. Mary of the Angels; St. Casimir (now Our Lady of Tepeyac); and Queen of the Rosary, Elk Grove Village. She also assisted in the office at Resurrection High School.

Sister Mary Virginia then spent 20 years working at the provincial home as receptionist, assisting the local superior or director of nursing at Queen of the Resurrection.

Providence Sister Cecilia (June) Carter, 92, died March 31 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.  Born in California, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1952 and professed final vows in 1960. She ministered for 41 years as a music teacher in schools in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland and California.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Andrew and St. Mel-Holy Ghost.

She moved to the motherhouse in 2002.  Beginning in 2009, she dedicated herself totally to the ministry of prayer.

Holy Family of Nazareth Sister M. Christiana (Dolores Georgianna) Metz, 88, died April 1 in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Born in South Heart, North Dakota, she entered religious life in 1946. She earned a teaching diploma and theology certificate from DeLourdes College in Des Plaines in 1954.

She taught for 24 years in Chicago at Roseland, St. Josaphat and Immaculate Heart of Mary. She also taught in Florida and North Dakota.

After her teaching ministry, she spent 13 years caring for the sick at Nazarethville Skilled Nursing Care in Des Plaines. She also served as a nurses’ aide at Jesus the Good Shepherd Convent in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Elaine (Genevieve) Robbins, 86, died April 5 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. Her religious name was Sister Genevieve.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Elaine made her first religious profession in 1956 and her perpetual profession in 1959. She served in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Alabama, Missouri, Maryland and Florida.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Elaine taught at Visitation (1958-1961) and St. Thomas of Villanova, Palatine (1969-1970).

Adrian Dominican Sister Patricia (Mary Cuthbert) DeMay, 87, died April 6 in Toledo, Ohio.

Born in Michigan, she was in the 70th year of her religious life.

Sister spent 53 years ministering in education and library services in Illinois, Michigan, Florida and Alabama.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Celestine, Elmwood Park, and Infant Jesus of Prague, Flossmoor.

Springfield Dominican Sister M. Brendan (Mary Bernadette) Gibbons died April 9 at St. John’s Hospital, Springfield.

She was born in Gridley, Illinois, in 1934, and made her profession of vows in 1954 at Sacred Heart Convent, Springfield.

Sister M. Brendan taught grades one through six at schools in Illinois and California, including St, Lawrence O’Toole, Matteson. In 2016, she retired to Sacred Heart Convent. For the past three years, she was a tenacious assistant in the congregational archives, where she relished organizing records and unearthing minute historical facts.

She is survived by her sisters, Julie Martinez, Jane Smith, Helen Brandon and Rose Crosby; and her brother, Jim Gibbons.

Viatorian Father James E. Michaletz, 87, died April 10 at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. He had been a Viatorian for 67 years.

Born in Chicago, he graduated in 1949 from St. Mel  High School in Chicago and attended Northwestern University before making his first vows as a Viatorian in 1952 in Arlington Heights. He entered the Viatorian Seminary in Evanston in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1960.

Father Michaletz was on the founding faculty of Saint Viator High School, serving as a chemistry teacher (1961-1964), assistant principal (1964-1968) and principal (1968-1972). From 1972 to 1975, he was superintendent of Sacred Heart of Mary High School in Rolling Meadows, before serving as assistant superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago (1973-1975). He served as co-director of the Office of School Planning (1975-1976) and Director of Planning (1976-1977) for the archdiocesan school system. He was an assistant professor of education at Dominican University, River Forest (1991-1998).

He retired to the Viatorian Province Center in Arlington Heights, in 2011.

He is survived by his sisters Geraldine Roller and Roberta Michaletz.

Adrian Dominican Sister Ellen (Marie Aquino) Murphy, 82, died April 11 in Adrian, Michigan.

Sister Ellen was born in Detroit, and she was in her 64th year of religious life.

She ministered in Illinois and Indiana.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Our Lady of Good Counsel (1954) and St. Joseph, Homewood (1959-1963); was principal at Queen of Angels (1972-1979); St. Joseph, Wilmette (1980-1983); and St. Catherine of Alexandria, Oak Lawn (1983-1992); was program coordinator for the Women’s Center Project, Westchester     (1994-1995); worked in spiritual development at Centerpoint, South Holland (1995-1998); was an educational consultant in Merrionette Park (2000-2005); and was an administrative assistant in the Dominican Midwest Chapter Office,  Burbank  (2008-2009).

Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Louanna Orth, 91, died April 13. She was in her 71st year of religious life.

A native of Chicago, Sister Louanna attended Notre Dame High School for Girls, where she was educated by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She entered religious life at Mount Notre Dame and taught for 42 years in elementary and high schools in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Ohio, and Chicago.