Deacon William Mages, 75, died Jan. 26. He was ordained in 1978 and served at St. Mary of the Woods Parish.

He is survived by his wife, Patti; and his children, Heidi and Gretchen Mages; three grandchildren; and his sisters, Dolores Bach, Kathleen Miller, Mary Pat Mages and Jeaniane Benton. 

Divine Word Brother Stephen Kerekes, 90, died Jan. 24 in Techny.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, he entered the Divine Word Seminary in New York in 1945. He entered the novitiate in Techny in 1950. After 10 years of seminary studies, he joined the Trappist order and was admitted to the cloistered life at Our Lady of Gethsemane Monastery in Kentucky. 

In 1964, he returned to the Society of the Divine Word as a brother candidate, worked in the Divine Word vineyards in New York and professed first vows for a third time.

He professed perpetual vows in 1968 and prepared for his first assignment in Papua New Guinea. After brief stops in the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan, he arrived in Papua New Guinea in November of that year.

During his time there, he managed and taught at St. Joseph Vocational School before becoming harbor master and manager of the Mission Supply Store in Alexishafen. He also served as postmaster and supervised the local radio station. He maintained communication with missionaries in the outer regions, coordinated weekly shipments and handled emergency requests.

In his spare time, he became a master clockmaker.

In 2002, Brother Stephen returned to the United States and was assigned to Divine Word Residence in Riverside, California. He moved to Techny in 2014.

Daughter of Charity Barbara (Richardine) Kauss, 76, died Feb. 3 in the Daughters of Charity Province of Congo, Africa, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident while being driven to the airport.

Born in Waukegan, Sister Barbara graduated from Holy Child High School in 1959 and joined the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1960 from Mother of God Church in Waukegan.  

Sister Barbara taught in Texas and Puerto Rico before being sent to what was then Zaire, which became the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997.

Sister Barbara served in many roles while on mission in the Congo including the oversight of three secondary schools in Bikoro, Kinshasa, and Mbandaka.  Sister Barbara’s final mission was in Tarime Mara, Tanzania.

Sister Barbara is survived by her brother, David Kauss.

Divine Word Father John “George” Bergin, 79, died Feb. 8 in Techny. He was an educator, counselor and missionary priest for 50 years.

Born in Wisconsin, he entered the Society of the Divine Word Seminary at East Troy in 1952 and professed first vows in 1958. After being ordained in 1967, Father Bergin was assigned to Divine Word’s seminary in East Troy, where he served as a teacher and dean of students for six years.

He also taught and served as a counselor, vocation director and youth minister in Massachusetts and worked for the Mission Office in Techny.

After decades of teaching and counseling, he returned to Techny in 2013 and remained active, saying Mass and hearing confessions at nearby parishes and convents. He also was the vice rector at the Divine Word Residence, a home to more than 60 priests, brothers and novices.
Father Bergin is survived by his brother, Divine Word Father James Bergin.

BVM Sister Isabel (Acarda) Miller, 96, died Feb. 17 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Iowa, she entered the BVM congregation in 1939 and professed final vows in 1947.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Isabel taught at St. Pius, St. Callistus, St. Gertrude and St. Eulalia, Maywood. In retirement, she volunteered at St. Joseph Hospital and Cudahy Library at Loyola University, Chicago. She also taught in Rock Island, Illinois and in New York, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and Mississippi.

She is survived by a brother, John Miller.