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.