Deacon Willie Foggie Jr., 85, died Feb. 12 in North Carolina. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1986 and excardinated to the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2002.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Deacon Foggie served at St. Charles Lwanga, St. Ailbe and Holy Angels parishes.

His son Michael A. Foggie Sr. was ordained a deacon for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2020.

In addition to Michael Foggie Sr., he is survived by his children Margaret Foggie Kimber, Jacqueline M. Thompson, Christine Brevard, Kenneth L. Foggie Sr., Edward W. Foggie Sr., Martin J. Foggie, Willie Foggie III and Malcolm J. Foggie; 18 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

Resurrection Sister Laura Swedowski, 92, died Feb. 10 at Resurrection Life Center.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Laura entered the community in 1948 and professed vows in 1950.

Sister Laura spent 58 years as a teacher in elementary schools. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Casimir (1951-1952), St. Thecla (1956-1960), St. Bede (1964-1966) and Queen of the Rosary (1967-1978). She also taught in Indiana and Florida.

In 1996, she retired as a full-time teacher and served as a substitute teacher at St. Monica, St. Julianna, Our Lady of Ransom, Immaculate Conception (Talcott Avenue), and St. Ladislaus. During this time, she also served as the sacristan in the chapel of the provincial home of the Sisters of the Resurrection.

Marianist Father Francis Walter Schorp, 91, died Feb. 19 in San Antonio.

Born in Texas, Father Schorp entered the Society of Mary in 1951 after attending St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. He professed first vows in 1952 and final vows in 1958. As a scholastic, he taught at high schools, including St. Michael in Chicago.

He began seminary studies in 1960 in Fribourg, Switzerland, and was ordained there in 1964. After short teaching assignments in Texas and St. Louis and several years of graduate studies, he joined the faculty at St. Mary’s University in 1973. He lived and ministered there for the rest of his life.

Felician Sister Joanita Marie Krieter, 79, died Feb. 26 in Mother of Good Counsel Convent.

Born in Evanston, she attended St. Gertrude School, Franklin Park; and Trinity High School, Oak Park; and was a graduate of Rosary College, now Dominican University, in River Forest. She entered the Felician Sisters in 1976 and professed her final vows in 1985. 

Sister Joanita Marie ministered as a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Milwaukee and at St. Mary Home in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. For almost 30 years, she served as an activity aide in the Felician Sisters Care Center in Chicago.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary Eileen (Marillac) Scully, 95, died March 1, in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Oak Park, Sister Mary Eileen made her first religious profession in 1950 and her perpetual profession in 1953. She was a teacher, guidance counselor and principal, and served as councilor for the Northwest Province of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa and was a program manager and senior service provider for the visually challenged. Sister Mary Eileen served in Minnesota, Nebraska, Alabama and Illinois.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary Eileen served as guidance counselor at Trinity High School, River Forest (1982-1986), and at Holy Trinity High School (1986-2000). She ministered at Blind Service Association, Chicago, as program manager (2001-2008), and with the senior services for the visually challenged (2001-2012).

She is survived by a brother, Charles Scully.

Dominican Father Jon Alexander, 82, died March 3 in Chicago.

Born in Pennsylvania, Father Alexander earned a bachelor’s degree in history and education from Gettysburg College and a doctorate in history from Temple University before entering the Harvard University Divinity School. There he encountered Dominican Father Thomas O’Meara, who was instrumental in bringing Father Alexander into the Catholic Church, and, after earning a master’s degree from Harvard, into the Dominican Order.

Father Alexander taught history, religious studies and American studies in Iowa and Rhode Island before being ordained a priest in 1986. He served in Newman Centers and campus ministry and as a parish priest in New Mexico and Minnesota. From 1998 to 2014, he taught history and religious studies at Providence College in Rhode Island.

After two more years in New Mexico and a year in Minnesota, he moved to St. Pius V Priory in Chicago due to declining health.

Providence Sister Rosemary (Rose Cecile) Borntrager, 90, died March 6 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Chicago, she attended St. Jarlath and Our Lady of Sorrows schools and Providence High School before entering the Sisters of Providence in 1950. She made final vows in 1958. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degrees in fine art and in educational administration.

She taught and was a school principal and diocesan school administrator in schools in Indiana; Illinois; Washington, D.C.; Missouri and California. After retiring from education, she served in congregation archives and as general secretary of the congregation. Retiring from that position in 2006, she volunteered both in the business office and medical records of Providence Health Care for another six years, before volunteering her services at Linden Leaf Gifts and designing several Christmas Cards that were sold there. 

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught and was assistant principal at Marywood, Evanston (1966-1970).

Sister Rosemary is survived by her brother, Servite Father Conrad Borntrager.