Deacon Eugene Kummerer Jr., 62, died Feb. 2. He was ordained in 2019 and served at St. Pascal, now part of Holy Rosary Parish.

Deacon Kummerer was active in many ministries at the parish, including the liturgy and art and environment committees.

“If Gene saw something that needed to be done, he did it,” said Betty Arena, administrative assistant for the parish. “Nobody knows everything he did.”

He was the moderator for women’s club, past president and a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and led adoration and Benediction every Thursday. Friends said he would pull out his wallet to give money to homeless people as soon as he saw them.

He is survived by his parents, Margaret and Eugene Kummerer Sr.; and his siblings Brian, Jeff and Richard Kummerer and Mary Pat Lunkes.

Providence Sister Maureen Abbott, 84, died Jan. 26 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Buffalo, New York, she joined the Sisters of Providence in 1956 and professed final vows in 1964.

She ministered as a teacher, principal, councilor to the provincial, provincial and director of ministries and vicar of education in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. She also worked in the marriage tribunal in the Diocese of Portland, Oregon, and wrote a history of her congregation.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Mother Theodore Guerin High School, River Grove.

Sister Maureen is survived by five sisters: Patricia Ashton, Liz Karchmer, Christine Wisian, Jean Wood and Kathy Oxford; and one brother, John Abbott.

Felician Sister Mary Susan (Mary Doreen) Holbach, 76, died Jan. 26, at Mother of Good Counsel Convent.

Born in Wisconsin, she joined the Felician Sisters aspirancy in Chicago, where she attended Good Counsel High School. She entered the Felician Sisters postulancy in 1964 and professed her final vows in 1972. She ministered in elementary schools as a teacher and principal in Illinois and Wisconsin. She also ministered as an infant care lead teacher at St. Joseph Academy and as a receptionist at Villa St. Francis in Milwaukee.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at St. Bruno (1967-1968); Our Lady of Ransom, Niles (1968-1970); St. Isidore, Blue Island (1970-1971, 1994-1999); St. Damian, Oak Forest (1971-1974); St. Mary Magdalene (1974-1975); Our Lady of the Gardens (1975-1979, 1982-1986); St. Bronislava (1979-1980); St. Joseph High School, Westchester (1986-1990); Good Shepherd (1990-1992); St. Helen (1993-1994); and Holy Innocents (1999-2002).

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Janette (Juditha) Wicker, 91, died Jan. 29 in Footville, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Janette made her first religious profession in 1954 and her perpetual profession in 1957. She was a teacher, co-principal and principal, as well as a religious education coordinator, liturgist, pastoral associate and librarian. She served in Illinois and Wisconsin.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Janette taught at St. Cajetan (1954-1963).

Father Charles W. Watkins, 78, died Jan. 27. He was the former pastor of St. Columba Parish.

Born in Florence, Alabama, Father Watkins attended Coffee High School and the University of North Alabama, both in Florence, and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein.

Before entering the seminary, Father Watkins spent more than a quarter century working in health care. In the early 1980s, he was coordinator of the cardiac surgery section and a research clinician at the University of Chicago.

He was ordained in 2003 at age 58.

After being ordained, Father Watkins was associate pastor at Our Lady of the Ridge, Chicago Ridge, and St. Cletus, La Grange. He became pastor of St. Columba Parish in 2012, and served there until he retired in 2020. Watkins was also chaplain of the Circus and Traveling Show Apostolate and served as dean of Vicariate IV-C.

Father Michael Novick, ordained in 2001 and associate pastor of St. Cletus Parish, was a close friend of Father Watkins. “He became part of my family here in Chicago, since his was in Alabama.”

Deacon Wolfgang Walter Kunath, 82, of Hudson Oaks, Texas, died Jan. 16. He was ordained in 1977 and served at St. Catherine Laboure Parish in Glenview before moving to Texas.

Born in Germany, Deacon Kunath moved to Chicago with his family when he was a child. He married his high school sweetheart, Bonnie, in 1965, after serving for six years in the U.S. Air Force.

Deacon Kunath studied at IIT Technical Institute and the University of Illinois at Chicago before working for 27 years at AT&T.

As a deacon, he taught religious education, and served in prison, hospital and nursing home ministries. He was also a fourth degree Knight of Columbus.

He is survived by his wife, Bonnie; children Eric Kunath, Gwen Hasty, Perrin Kunath and Marrika Schumann; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Adrian Dominican Sister Helen (Denis Margaret) McAllister, 83, died Dec. 17, 2022, in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Evergreen Park, Sister Helen attended Aquinas Dominican High School. She was a member of her community for 64 years.

Sister Helen ministered in education in Michigan and Illinois. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she was campus minister at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Westchester (1985-1989) and a teacher at St. Cyprian, River Grove (1989-1995); St. Benedict, Blue Island (1995-1997) and Queen of Peace High School, Burbank (1998-2009).

Franciscan Sister of Chicago M. Gabriel (Irene) Lazarski, 96, died Jan. 9.

Sister M. Gabriel entered the community in 1947 and professed perpetual vows in 1954.

She ministered in education and in leadership positions in her community in Illinois and Indiana.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Florian (1949-1950); St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr (1950-1954, 1979-1980); St. Louise de Marillac, La Grange Park (1959-1960); and was principal and local superior at Five Holy Martyrs (1969-1974);

From 1974 to 1985, she served two terms as a general councilor. During that time, she held a number of other leadership positions, including retirement coordinator (1976-1977) and motherhouse superior (1977-1979). She was also assistant principal (1980-1981) and principal (1982-1985) of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr.

She was novice director (1987-1990) at the Lemont motherhouse, then ministered at Five Holy Martyrs as local superior while volunteering at the Port (1990-1991) and director of religious education (1991-1993). From 1993 to 2006, she ministered at St. Joseph Home as local superior and director of mission effectiveness, among other positions. She ministered at Madonna Convent from 2006 to 2009, before retiring at the motherhouse.

Mercy Sister Mary (Mateo) Fearon, 98, died Jan. 12.

She was a Sister of Mercy for 75 years.

Sister Mary had a bachelor’s degree from Saint Xavier University and a master’s degree from the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago.

After years teaching in the primary grades in Catholic schools of Illinois and Iowa, Sister Mary was invited in 1967 to join the Office for Catechesis of the Archdiocese of Chicago. She began her second career there writing the child and adult curricula of the new post-Second Vatican Council catechetical program.

She authored three series of textbooks and teacher manuals dedicated to religious education of young children that were published by Wm. C. Brown and Co. In addition, she wrote “Saints for All Seasons,” “Practical Liturgies for the School Year,” “Bible Stories for Children” and more, which offered fresh and creative approaches to religious education and faith formation.

In 1998 she was honored by Cardinal Francis George for her contributions to religious education in the Archdiocese of Chicago and in 1992 she received the Bene Award for her book “Celebrating the Gift of Forgiveness.”

Divine Word Brother Raymond Albers, 93, died Jan. 13.

Born in Iowa, Brother Ray entered the Society of the Divine Word in 1947 and professed vows in 1949.

A man of many trades and talents, he served as a tailor at the Divine Word community in Conesus, New York; a carpenter in Bordentown, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.; and a draftsman for the Divine Word Architecture Bureau in Rome.

He ministered at St. Joseph’s Technical School in Saboba, Ghana, in the 1970s. After returning to United States, he served as business manager at St. Anselm Parish and the director of brother formation at Techny, and worked as a substance abuse counselor.

Before retiring, he provided pastoral care for the Zapotecas people of Oaxaca, Mexico.

He also designed the stained-glass windows in chapel of Divine Word Residence at Techny and the African Chapel in the Techny Towers Conference and Retreat Center.

Brother Ray had lived in Techny in retirement since 2008.

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.