Obituaries

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Fr. James D. Beath

Associate pastor

Father James D. Beath, 69, died Sept. 29. He was associate pastor of Divine Savior Parish, Norridge.

Born in Chicago, Father Beath attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1979.

He served as assistant pastor of St. Gertrude, Franklin Park; St. Mary of Celle, Berwyn; St. Peter, Skokie; St. Albert the Great, Burbank; St. Barbara, Brookfield; Divine Infant Jesus, Westchester; Divine Savior, Norridge; St. Mary of the Assumption; St. Thomas of Canterbury; St. Dorothy Parish; St. Mary, Star of the Sea; and St. Edward Parish.

Father Alec J. Wolff, presiding judge of the Metropolitan Tribunal of the archdiocese, said that his longtime friend had a heart of gold. “If somebody needed help, he was there. You didn’t have to ask — he was just there for you.”

According to Wolff, Beath had numerous hobbies, but music was the one he treasured the most.

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Sr. Jeanne Adams

Educator, Pastoral worker

Sister of the Holy Child Jesus Jeanne Adams, 94, died Sept. 11.

A member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus for 75 years, Sister Jeanne ministered worldwide as an educator, researcher, pastoral minister and historian. She was briefly imprisoned during the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War and studied both Arabic and Creole to better serve the people of Israel, Palestine and Haiti.

She moved to Waukegan with her family as a child, and attended St. Anastasia School and Holy Child High School. She began her teaching ministry at St. Ignatius School (1949-1951) in Chicago. After five years in Pennsylvania, she served the next 20 years in the society’s African province. She later served in Israel, Palestine, Haiti and Jamaica.

She is survived by her sister, Kathy Reed.

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Sr. Mary Louis Russley

Attorney, educator

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary Louis “Louie” Russley, 87, died Sept. 16 in Footville, Wisconsin.

Born in Cincinnati, Sister Mary Louis made her first religious profession in 1962 and her perpetual profession in 1967. She taught high school and college science; was director of the Dominican Education Center in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin; and was a pastoral associate before attending Loyola University Chicago School of Law, graduating in 1987. She ministered in law for the next 18 years. She ministered in Illinois, Wisconsin and Florida.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary Louis taught at Trinity High School, River Forest (1962-1964); was a staff attorney with attorney Anne Burke in Chicago (1986-1988); was an assistant public defender for Cook County Juvenile Court (1988-2005); and taught at Dominican University, River Forest (1994-1996).

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Sr. Dorothy Olinger

Sr. Dorothy Olinger

Daughter of Charity Sister Dorothy (Dorothy Lorraine) Olinger, 89, died Sept. 18 in Evansville, Indiana.

Born in Chicago, Sister Dorothy graduated from St. Gregory High School before entering the Daughters of Charity in 1952.

 She ministered in Louisiana, Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Maryland and Tennessee.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Francis de Sales, Lake Zurich (1969-1973); and was a registrar at St. Louise de Marillac High School, Northfield (1993-1994).

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Sr. Frances Barfield

Educator

Adrian Dominican Sister Frances (David Therese) Barfield, 90, died Sept. 19 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Pensacola, Florida, she was in the 73rd year of her religious life.

Sister Frances spent over 30 years ministering in elementary education and parish ministry in Illinois, Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Celestine, Elmwood Park (1950-1953).

She is survived by siblings Genevieve Due and Albert Barfield.

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Sr. Agnes Maureen Badura

Educator, administrative worker

Providence Sister Agnes Maureen (Theresa) Badura, 92, died Sept. 24 in St.-Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Chicago, Sister Agnes Maureen entered the Sisters of Providence in 1947 and professed final vows in 1955. 

She ministered as a teacher for 47 years in schools in Indiana; Illinois; Washington, D.C.; California; Florida; and Oklahoma, the last 39 of which were as a math teacher.

Retiring from teaching in 1989, she used her mathematical skills at Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, and then, in 1995 at the Motherhouse Central Business Office.

In 2002, she returned to the Archdiocese of Chicago. In the archdiocese she taught at St. Angela (1955-1958); Marywood High School, Evanston (1965-1969); and Mother Theodore Guerin High School, River Grove (1980-1984); was a clerk at Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center (1989-1995); and volunteered in the SPRED Office (2002-2011).

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Sr. Mary Margaret Narloch

Educator, administrator

Felician Sister Mary Margaret (Mary Leonilda) Narloch, 97, died Sept. 27 at Mother of Good Counsel Convent.

Born in Wausau, Wisconsin, she entered the Felician Sisters in 1943 and professed her final vows in 1951. She ministered in elementary and high schools as a teacher, vice principal and principal in Illinois, and she served as administrator at a day care center in Wisconsin, before serving as the provincial treasurer and the president of Felician Health Care Inc. for 14 years. 

Later, she was the administrator of Villa St. Joseph in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. While there, she also was a tutor, visitor to the sick and helped with the outreach ministry. In 2016, Sister Mary Margaret returned to Mother of Good Counsel Convent in Chicago, where she helped in the International Cord Rosary Center.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at St. Wenceslaus (1945-1952), St. Hedwig (1952-1953), Holy Innocents (1953-1956), St. Bronislava (1956-1957), Good Counsel High School (1957-1963, 1967-1976) and St. Joseph High School (1965-1967).

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Sr. Marya Dugard

Educator

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Marya Dugard, 92, died Oct. 2 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Peoria, Sister Marya made her first religious profession in 1950 and her perpetual profession in 1953. She was a teacher, pastoral associate, family caregiver, support staff member and visitor to the ill and elderly in Illinois, Wyoming and Wisconsin.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Marya taught at Visitation (1950-1953); St. Sabina (1958-1960); St. Barnabas (1964-1969); St. Mary, Evanston (1969-1970); and St. Basil (1970-1972).

She is survived by a sister, Lorraine Dugard; and two brothers, Edward Dugard and Michael Dugard.

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Sr. Constance Lennartz

Educator

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Constance Lennartz, 92, died Oct. 3 in Footville, Wisconsin.

Born in Oak Park, Sister Connie made her first religious profession in 1952 and her perpetual profession in 1955. She was a teacher and principal and a pastoral minister, and she directed a program for adults preparing to join the Catholic Church for 19 years.

Guiding people as they grew in their faith was important to her. She served in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma.

According to her community, she loved serving on committees, volunteering in choirs and walking in marches that supported justice issues.

In the archdiocese, Sister Connie taught at St. Luke, River Forest (1984-1985).

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