Sister of the Living Word Mary Louise Coccimiglio, 87, died Jan. 13. She resided at the Resurrection Life Center.

Born in Detroit, she served at Josephinum High School; as a volunteer with RCIA at Our Lady of the Wayside, Arlington Heights; and in Missouri and Michigan.

Passionist Father Eric Meyer, 84, died Jan. 13. He was the former pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish on Talcott Avenue.

Father Meyer was born in Chicago and attended St. Ita School before entering the Passionist seminary. He earned a doctorate in theology in Munster, Germany.

He entered the community in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1966.

Meyer taught theology at Catholic Theological Union and at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, and ministered at the Newman Center at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He was associate pastor and then the last Passionist pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish (2005-2013).

Rose Hegarty, former business manager at Immaculate Conception Parish, remembered Father Meyer as a good man, very dedicated to the church. “He had a golden heart, and always felt sorry for people who needed help,” Hegarty said.

He is survived by his brother, James Meyer.

Maryknoll Father Edward J. Whelan, 88, died Jan. 16 in Maryknoll, New York.

Father Whelan was born in Chicago and attended St. Angela School and St. Ignatius High School before entering Maryknoll in 1952. He was ordained a priest in 1961.

He taught English at Maryknoll collegiate institutions in Glen Ellyn and in Pennsylvania, and earned a doctorate in English at St. Louis University before being sent to Korea.

From 1972 to 2022, Father Whelan ministered for almost 40 years in South Korea and 10 years in northeast China, serving as a pastor and an English professor and establishing two early childhood special education centers, one in Cheongiu City, South Korea, and one in China. He also helped establish a day care center for adults with severe intellectual disabilities in Cheongiu.

In 2022, Father Whelan returned to Maryknoll, New York.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Joris Binder, 84, died Jan. 22 in Footville, Wisconsin.

Born in Gary, Indiana, Sister Joris made her first religious profession in 1958 and her perpetual profession in 1961. She was a teacher and administrator and worked in residence life leadership at the University of Notre Dame and led the Hesburgh Sabbatical Program at Catholic Theological Union.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught (1968-1973) and was a counselor (1970-1973) at St. Philip the Apostle School, Northfield, and was codirector of the Hesburgh Sabbatical Program (now Hesburgh Renewal Program) at Catholic Theological Union (1998-2001).

She is survived by a brother, George Binder Jr.

Deacon Joseph Pepitone, 81, died Jan. 11. He was ordained in 1982 and ministered for 40 years at St. John of the Cross Parish, Western Springs.

Born in Chicago, he attended Austin High School and DePaul University. He worked in sales for the McGraw-Hill Companies, and after he retired, he was a paraeducator for 10 years at Lyons Township High School.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary; his children Melissa Glimco, Joseph Pepitone and Anthony Pepitone; seven grandchildren and his siblings Ann Donatello, Francine Erenburg and John Pepitone.

Providence Sister Thomas Jeanne (Margaret Ann) Doriot, 85, died Dec. 19, 2022, at Westridge Health Center in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Born in Indiana, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1960 and professed final vows in 1967. She ministered in education for five years, in journalism for 11 years in Indiana, Illinois and California. She also did pastoral ministry.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Marywood High School, Evanston (1964-1966), and was a journalist at Pioneer Press, Evanston (1969-1971).

Dominican Sister Teresa (Joseph Henrice) Disch, 84, died Dec. 20, 2022, in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Wisconsin, she was in her 63rd year of religious life.

Sister Teresa ministered in elementary and secondary education, as a director of formation for her community, as a social worker, pastoral counselor and retreat and spiritual director in Michigan, Illinois and Colorado.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Mary Mount Carmel (1959) and Regina Dominican High School, Wilmette (1970-1971). She was associate director of permanent diaconate formation in Oak Park (1991-1995), and was a pastoral counselor and spiritual director at Catholic Counseling Associates, Westchester (1995-2006).

She also had a master of divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago.

She is survived by a sister, Rita Chiodini, and two brothers, Richard Disch and Robert Disch.

Little Sister of the Poor Vincent (Mary Catherine) O’Neill, 100, died Dec. 28, 2022, in Palatine.

Born in Philadelphia, she professed temporary vows in her community in 1944 and perpetual vows in 1950. During her religious life of 78 years, she served the elderly poor with devotion.

She spent 47 of those years in the Archdiocese of Chicago, serving at both St. Mary’s Home in Chicago and St. Joseph’s Home in Palatine. 

Deacon Ismael Pineiro, 78, died Dec. 20, 2022. He was ordained in 1983 and had served outside the Archdiocese of Chicago for many years.

Deacon Pineiro was born in Puerto Rico, one of 14 children. He married his wife, Virginia, in 1968, and they had three children.

After he was ordained a deacon, he served at St. Peter Canisius Parish and later in Clermont, Florida.

His wife predeceased him. He is survived by his children Ismael Jr., Laura and Maria; seven grandchildren; and his siblings Francisca, Ana, Mercedes, Carmen, Marta, Ana Maria, Laura, Juan, Domingo, Luis and Martin Jr.

Benedictine Sister Margarita Walters, 83, died Nov. 20, 2022, in St. Joseph Court Infirmary.

Sister Margarita was born in New York and moved with her family to Wilmette, where she attended St. Joseph School. After graduating, she enrolled at St. Scholastica High School and graduated in 1956.

Shortly after Sister Margarita finished high school, she moved to California and spent the greater part of her adult life there. She was married and eventually widowed. As her five children grew to adulthood, her success in the business world began to be less important to her than a yearning for a deeper relationship with God. After she tested that call with short memberships in the Carmelites and a small Italian community, she finally entered St. Scholastica Monastery in 1995.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Margarita served as director of alumnae relations for St. Scholastica Academy High School, director of the development office for the school, and following her profession of vows, the vocation minister for the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago.