Sinsinawa Dominican Sister LaDonna (Albertino) Jeno, 90, died Jan. 28 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Minnesota, Sister LaDonna made her first religious profession in 1952 and her perpetual profession in 1955. She taught, was a cook and served as support staff and an educational aide in Illinois, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, Minnesota and Alabama.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister LaDonna taught at Epiphany (1952-1954) and Immaculate Conception, Waukegan (1960-1962). She served as cook at Trinity Convent, River Forest (1958-1959).

Edmund Rice Christian Brother Robert Liguori May, 87, died Jan. 30.

Brother Robert attended St. Sabina School and Leo High School before joining the Christian Brothers in 1952.

He taught in New York before returning to the Chicago area. He taught at Brother Rice High School and St. Laurence High School, Burbank, Illinois, where he was inducted into their Hall of Fame. Brother Robert founded the remedial reading programs at both Brother Rice and St. Laurence, and was active in parents’ clubs and served as band moderator and on school advisory boards. He also served as novice master for his community for seven years.

After retiring in 2005, Brother Robert moved into Marian Village retirement home in Homer Glen, and served on the Resident Council Board, was a sacristan and eucharistic minister, helped in the deli and called bingo and ran other games.

Providence Sister Mary Ann (Robert Ann) Lechner, 92, died Feb. 1 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Born in Indiana, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1947 and professed final voes in 1954. 

She ministered as teacher in Indiana and Illinois.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Mel (1949-1954).

Sister Mary Ann is survived by two sisters, Elizabeth Bormann and Eileen Lauka.

Benedictine Sister Barbara (Mary Justin) McCarry, 82, died Feb. 2 in St. Joseph Court Infirmary.

Born in Chicago, Sister Barbara attended St. Anthony de Padua Parish and Maria High School. She professed triennial vows in 1964 and made her final profession of vows in 1968.

Sister Barbara taught English for a Chicago public high school (1961-1962), then taught at St. Scholastica Academy (1964-1965, 1968-1974), Queen of All Saints (1966-1967, 1977-1978) and St. Hilary (1967-1968) and then served as curriculum director at St. Scholastica (1974-1977). She returned to Queen of All Saints as principal from 1978 to 1993.

Sister Barbara then trained and served as a probation officer in Chicago at the Juvenile Court Building, with outreach to detention centers in St. Charles and Warrenville. She later returned as a curriculum consultant for the Chicago Board of Education. In 2008, Sister Barbara served as a consultant for UNO Charter Schools.

From 2012 to 2022, Sister Barbara lived a life of prayer.

Sister Theresa (M. Edmundine) Lesnak, 93, died Jan. 13 in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

Born in Chicago, she made her first profession of vows in 1948 and her final profession in 1954.

Beginning in 1950, Sister Theresa ministered in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Nebraska for more than seven decades.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Theresa taught at St. Mary School, Buffalo Grove (1974-1975); was an administrative secretary for Smoler Brothers (1975-1980); taught at Madonna High School (1980-1994); was a secretary for the FD Services Data Base (1994-1995); taught at St. Benedict High School (1995-1998); was an instructor at Wright College (1998-2005); and was bookkeeper for St. Priscilla Convent (2005-2007).

In retirement, Sister Theresa was a volunteer at St. Joseph Convent in Campbellsport, Wisconsin (2007-2014), and served in the ministry of prayer and presence at Sacred Heart in Milwaukee (2014-2015), and at Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Greenfield from 2015 until the time of her death. 

Basilian Father John Fiore, 92, died Jan. 15 at the Albertine Home in Hammond, Indiana.

He was born in Toronto and was ordained at St. Basil Church there in 1957. He came to Chicago to earn a doctorate in musicology from the University of Chicago.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, he assisted at Little Flower, St. David, and for more than 30 years at St. Catherine of Alexandria, Oak Lawn.

Sister Joan (James Irene) Redden, BVM, 92, died Jan. 15 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Chicago, she entered the BVM congregation in 1947 from St. Francis of Rome Parish, Cicero. She professed first vows in 1950 and final vows in 1955.

Sister Joan ministered in Iowa, Illinois and Washington. In Illinois, she taught elementary school in Cicero and high school in Waukegan and Lake Forest. She also was a teacher assistant in North Chicago and an assistant apartment manager in Waukegan.

Redemptorist Father Richard Thibodeau, 72, the first provincial superior of the Redemptorist Denver Province, died Jan. 16 of COVID-19-related pneumonia in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. An exceptional administrator blessed with a sensitivity to navigate difficult issues, Father Richard served in leadership positions throughout his 44 years as a Redemptorist missionary.

Born in Milwaukee, Father Richard felt called to the priesthood in elementary school. He professed temporary vows in 1970 and perpetual vows in 1973. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1976.

Father Richard ministered in Redemptorist formation programs, as marketing director and president of Liguori Publications; as a local community rector and provincial consultor; and as vicar of the Villa Redeemer community in Glenview.

When two provinces merged to form the Denver Province in 1996, he was elected superior and served three terms, until 2005.

He then was pastor of St. Michael Parish (Cleveland Avenue) 2005 until 2011, before serving as a pastor in New Orleans before being appointed director of the Redemptorist Retreat Center in Oconomowoc in 2019.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Barbara (Walthier) Bell, 90, died Jan. 17 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Barbara made her first religious profession in 1951 and her perpetual profession in 1954. She was a teacher, director of religious education, bookkeeper and pastoral administrator in Minnesota, Indiana, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Illinois and Montana.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Barbara served as director of religious education at St. Thomas of Villanova, Palatine (1973-1975), and Visitation Parish (1975-1976), where she also taught in the school.

Father John J. Nicola, 92, died Jan. 3. He was the former assistant pastor of St. Cecilia Parish (Wells Street) and St. James Parish, Arlington Heights.

Born in Evanston, Father Nicola attended St. Thomas of Canterbury School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1955.

He also earned a doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy.

Father Nicola was assistant pastor of St. James Parish and St. Cecilia and taught at Quigley Preparatory Seminary for 10 years before moving to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., to serve as the assistant director of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. After that assignment, he taught at Georgetown Prep in Maryland and other Catholic high schools.