Divine Word Jerzy (George) Gawlik, 66, died May 29. He was pastor of St. Joseph the Worker, Wheeling.

Father Gawlik was born in Brzozowice-Katowice, Poland. He made his first vows in 1976 and his perpetual vows in 1980 in Poland. Gawlik was ordained to the priesthood in 1981, also in Poland.

While ministering in Poland, Gawlik served as formation director and prefect of Divine Word Seminary in Nysa, formation director of Divine Word Mission in Pieniezno, and rector and novice director at Divine Word Mission House in Chludowo. Gawlik was also a missionary in the Philippines.

Since arriving in the United States in 2004, Gawlik served as both associate pastor and pastor at St. Joseph the Worker Parish.

Divine Word Father Quang Duc Dinh, provincial superior of the Society of the Divine Word Chicago Province, recalls Father Gawlik as a “great missionary” and a kind and gentle pastor.

Father John E. Flavin, 83, died May 30. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Glenview.

Born in Chicago, Father Flavin attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, completing his theological studies at the North American College and the Gregorian University in Rome before being ordained there in 1960.

He was assistant pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Catherine of Siena, Oak Park. He was pastor of St. Sebastian and Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

He also served on the faculty of Quigley Preparatory Seminary North, on the staff of Liturgy Training Publications and Maryhaven Nursing & Rehabilitation Center and as director of the Archdiocesan Office of Goal Setting. Father Flavin was president of the Presbyteral Senate and dean of Deaneries 3, 4 and 5 in Vicariate II, as well as the cardinal’s representative on the Pastoral Guidelines for Marriage, and had resided at St. Benedict Nursing and Rehabilitation Center since 2009.

Father Flavin had a reputation of being highly intelligent, and he was active in parish ministries. At his first parish, St. Sebastian, Father Flavin supported the parish’s Dignity Mass, bilingual Masses and AIDS hospice. At Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Flavin led various ministries to support families most in need.

Deacon Joseph “J. Frank” Marquez, 93, died May 18. He was ordained in 1972 and served for more than 40 years at St. Pascal Parish.

Deacon Marquez was a member of the first class of permanent deacons ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago and a U.S. Army veteran. He was an accountant and worked for Loyola University and Loyola Medical Center. 

He is survived by his wife, Sharon; children Bob, Sharon Bush, Marty, Juli, David and Amanda; and nine grandchildren.

Mercy Sister Ann Sullivan, 84, died April 20.

Born in Chicago, she attended Resurrection School and graduated from Siena High School in 1953. In 1955, Sister Ann entered the Sisters of Mercy.

From 1959-1969, Sister Ann taught at schools in Chicago, Milwaukee and Rockford.

After leaving teaching, she worked as an administrative assistant at Misericordia for two years

She then worked as an administrator in Mercy facilities in Aurora.

Benedictine Sister of Chicago Johnette Sawyer, 84, died May 2 at St. Francis Hospital, Evanston, where she had been hospitalized for three weeks after contracting COVID-19.

Sister Johnette was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and entered the monastery in 1955. She made her final vows in 1957.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Queen of All Saints, St. Hilary and St. Symphorosa, where she was also a sacristan in the parish. She ministered in the Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado, from the 1960s to 2015.

She is survived by her sister, Marilyn Graybill, and her brother, John.

Benedictine Sister of Chicago Joan Gannon, 97, died May 6.

Born in Chicago, she and her family were active members of St. Jerome Parish. After attending St. Scholastica High School, she entered the community as a postulant in 1940 and professed triennial vows in 1942.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught first grade and was parish sacristan at St. Hilary (1942-1948); taught at Mother of God, Waukegan (1948-1951); taught kindergarten at Queen of All Saints (1951-1952); performed various services at the Benedictine Monastery after losing her voice (1952-1953); taught chemistry and math and performed other duties at St. Scholastica High School (1956-1967); ministered in the infirmary (1967-1970); and worked in the language lab and business office at St. Scholastica Academy (1970-1979).

For the next 10 years, she served at several Chicago parishes, including Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Thomas Aquinas. She worked with the St. Jerome “Tip Toppers” and did several jobs in the monastery until retiring in 2014.

Sister of the Living Word Norma (Jane P.) Thelen, 82, died May 9. She had been a member of the community for 45 years.

Born in Michigan, she taught in elementary schools in Illinois, Louisiana and Michigan for 25 years. She then ministered in the field of gerontology for 27 years. She retired in 2013.

She is survived by her brothers Clair and Thomas Thelen and her sisters Rose Mary Nurenberg, Virginia Drake and Linda Thelen.

Felician Sister Mary Dionette (Theophilla) Werner, 90, died May 15 in Our Lady of the Angels Convent.

Born in Poland, she moved to Chicago and attended Good Counsel High School. She entered the Felician Sisters postulancy in 1949 and professed her final vows in 1957. 

She ministered as an elementary school teacher in various schools in Illinois and also served as a librarian at Providence High School in New Lenox. She ministered in the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in Rome for 20 years, and served in the Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at Holy Innocents (1949-1955), St. John of God (1955-1957), St. Helen (1960-1965), St. Wenceslaus (1965-1971), and the Office of Metropolitan Tribunal (2000-2014).

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary (Ora) Fox, 89, died May 26 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Mary made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican in 1950 and her perpetual profession in 1953. She was a teacher, school administrator, catechist, director of religious education and community liaison in Illinois, Montana, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Florida and Oklahoma.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary taught at Visitation (1962-1964) and St. Thomas More (1967-1971). She was principal of St. Basil (1978-1984).

She is survived by two brothers, Leonard Peacock and Jim Fox.

Deacon Marvin Kocar, 87, died May 4 after a long illness. He was ordained in 1986 and served at St. Pius X Parish, Stickney.

Born and raised in Chicago and a resident of Lyons, Deacon Kocar was a U.S. Navy veteran and he worked as an instructor at the Chicago Transit Authority. He enjoyed his retirement traveling, fishing and biking.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Margaret; children Linda Kucera and Marianne Kubat; three grandchildren; and his sister, Beverly Tomzik.

Jesuit Father John T. Dillon, 90, died May 12 in Michigan.

Born in Ludlow, Kentucky, he was a Jesuit for more than 65 years. He entered the society in 1952, was ordained in 1963 and made final vows in 1967.

He earned master’s degrees in philosophy and guidance and counseling from Loyola University Chicago, where he ministered for more than 30 years.

In 1999, he became director of Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, where he served until 2006. He then was a spiritual director at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary (2007-2010).

An injury he suffered as a young adult left him blind in one eye and visually impaired in the other. Because reading for long periods was difficult, he taught himself to retain information he heard listening to lectures and in meetings. His gift for listening made him an excellent spiritual director, according to many of his directees.

He is survived by his sister, Margaret Dillon, and his brother, Lawrence Dillon.

Holy Family of Nazareth Sister Stella Louise (M. Edelburg) Slomka, 99, died May 16 at Nazarethville in Des Plaines.

Born in Chicago, she entered the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1937 and professed her final vows in 1947. She earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce and finance and a master’s degree in hospital administration from St. Louis University.

She served as the administrator and president of St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital (now Amita Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center) from 1959 until her retirement in 1999 at the age of 78.

Committed to responding to the needs of families deprived of healthcare, she directed the construction of the 16-story, 495-bed St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center, which was completed in 1975. She also led the renovation of the former St. Mary School of Nursing into Nazareth Family Center and the construction of the medical office building.

Sister Stella Louise served on numerous boards including the Bishop Abramowicz Seminary Advisory Board and the Retirement Research Foundation. She received many awards for her health care ministry, including the Loyola University Community Service Award, Joseph Cardinal Bernadin’s “As Those Who Serve” award and the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award from Pope John Paul II.

Father Anthony M. Talarico, 75, died April 30. He was the former pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in South Holland.

Born in Chicago, Father Talarico attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1970.

After ordination, Talarico was assistant pastor of St. Priscilla and Immaculate Conception, Highland Park. He also served as chaplain at Columbus Hospital.

He served as pastor of St. Aloysius, Holy Rosary and Holy Ghost. He also served as an administrator at Cardinal Stritch Retreat House in Mundelein and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. He retired from ministry in 2018, and he continued to reside at the Holy Ghost Parish rectory.

Roman Szabelski, former executive director of Catholic Cemeteries, remembers his friend “as a loving pastor who was always concerned for his parishioners.” Father Talarico cared for Szabelski’s brother, Father Joe Szabelski, who suffered from chronic health issues before he died three years ago.

“The same gentle kindness Father Tony showed his parishioners was the same gentle kindness that was applied to my brother,” said Szabelski, who recalled how Father Talarico cared for a three-legged Irish wolfhound named Finn. “Whenever the shelter had a dog, they would always call Father Tony to adopt it. I guess he was always willing to take care of the abandoned.”

Providence Sister Helen Therese (Eileen) Conway, 94, died April 16 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Chicago, she attended Our Lady of the Angels School and Providence High School. She entered the Sisters of Providence in 1948 and professed final vows in 1955.

Of her 72 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered in education for 37 years in schools in Indiana, Illinois and California. Retiring from teaching in 1987, she returned to the motherhouse, where she served as an administrative assistant in a variety of offices. 

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Francis Xavier, Wilmette (1960-1964) and Our Lady of Mercy (1964-1965).

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Loretta (Mercedes) Finnerty, 89, died April 27 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. Her religious name was Sister Mercedes.

Born in Chicago, Sister Loretta made her first religious profession in 1952 and her perpetual profession in 1955. She was an educator and pastoral minister in Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, the District of Columbia, Louisiana and Michigan.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Loretta taught at St. Basil (1976-1977) and Visitation (1977-1981).

She is survived by a sister, Betty Finnerty.

Deacon Irvin J. Boppart Sr., 83, of North Chicago, died April 2. He was ordained in 1976 and served at Most Blessed Trinity Parish in Waukegan.

Born in Richmond, Illinois, he grew up in McHenry County and moved to North Chicago in 1962. He was a longtime parishioner of Mother of God Church in Waukegan before becoming a member of Queen of Peace Church/Most Blessed Trinity Parish.

He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and worked as a teacher and in building maintenance at First Midwest Bank and later at Gurnee Mills.

He is survived by his children: Irvin Jr., Tony, Cathy and Tim; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by two brothers, Loren and Gene, and three sisters, Marilyn, Phyllis and Betty. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rebecca, in 1997.

Holy Family of Nazareth Sister Donna Marie Davis (formerly Our Lady of Charity Sister Anthony), 71, died March 10 at Holy Family Medical Center, Des Plaines. She was in her 54th year of religious life.

Born in Cincinnati, she entered the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity in Carrolton, Ohio, in 1966 and remained with this congregation for 30 years, serving at St. John’s Villa in Ohio. In the late 1990s, she began the transfer process to the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. In June 2000, she professed perpetual vows as a Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

As a certified nursing assistant, she served at Nazarethville in Des Plaines. Later, when she became a resident at Nazarethville, she continued to assist with sisters and those who were dying.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Rita Claire (Antonine) Dorner, 89, died April 6 at the Dominican motherhouse, Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Born in Chicago, she made her first religious profession in 1951 and her perpetual profession in 1954.

She taught music for 25 years and in the graduate program in pastoral ministry for 18 years, serving as director for seven of those years. Sister Rita Claire served as director of religious education, liturgist and/or music director at parishes and with her religious sisters for 16 years.

She served in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, the District of Columbia and California.

Divine Word Father Chester Smith, 60, died suddenly on April 8.

Father Smith, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side, was one of the first pair of African-American twins to be ordained Catholic priests. He was an international leader in African-American ministry and youth outreach.

He was encouraged by his mother and by Father Edward Delaney at Our Lady of the Gardens Parish.

“Father Chester often spoke of the encouragement he received from Father Delaney to become a priest ‘because your people need you,’” said his identical twin brother, Divine Word Father Charles Smith. “Father Delaney’s comments were the foundation of his ministry, encouraging black men and women to be leaders in their communities, parishes and churches.”

Born five minutes after his brother in 1959, Chester was the second of four children in their family. The brothers attended Divine Word Seminary High School in East Troy, Wisconsin, and then Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, where Chester earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

In 1982, the brothers professed religious vows in the Society of the Divine Word at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, site of the first Catholic seminary for African-American students. They were both ordained in 1988.

Father Chester Smith once said that he committed to the idea of becoming a priest when he was a seminarian, working in the Watts section of Los Angeles.

During his priesthood, Father Smith was an associate pastor at St. Anselm and St. Elizabeth parishes in Chicago, as well as St. Nicholas in St. Louis. He founded Ambassadors of the Word, a peer group ministry program that fosters youth rites of passage and cross-cultural experiences. He and his brother also developed Boyhood to Manhood, a parish-based program to help young black men realize their value, get in touch with their spirituality and train future church leaders.

As a founding member of the Bowman Francis Ministry Team, Father Smith designed and implemented retreats, leadership programs and revivals that celebrate African and African-American culture within the context of the Catholic Church. For two decades, he organized the National Black Catholic Men’s Conference, which annually draws multiple generations of African-American men for workshops and liturgies.

Father Smith also co-authored two books: “Boyhood to Manhood,” a rite of passage manual for African-American boys, and “My Family, Our Family,” a manual for family Kwanzaa celebration.

From 2006 to 2010, he served as president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus.

In addition to degrees from Divine Word College and Catholic Theological Union, Father Smith pursued French studies at the University of Montreal in Montreal, Canada, and Rites of Passage Training at the Institute of Black Studies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Along with his twin brother, Father Smith is survived by a sister, Marcheta, and a brother, Kermit.

Deacon Edward Tomkowiak, 85, died March 8. He was ordained in 1992 and served at St. Patrick Parish, Wadsworth.

He was born in Wisconsin, where he met and married his wife, Theresa, who died in 2000. The couple was married for 45 years.

Deacon Tomkowiak lived most of his life in Wadsworth in a house he built. He worked for IBM for 30 years and earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He was a Wadsworth village trustee for many years and the Wadsworth mayor for two terms. He enjoyed traveling, gardening and was a fervent Green Bay Packers fan, and he was a consummate do-it-yourselfer.

After being ordained in 1992, he performed many marriages and baptisms. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus for more than 50 years, he led the St. Patrick youth group for many years and he was director of religious education. He was actively involved with missionary work, traveling to Piura, Peru, annually for 18 years.

Deacon Tomkowiak married his wife, Jane, in 2004. He is survived by Jane and his children Edward, Terry and John Tomkowiak; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; his sister, Lorraine Michalski; and his brother, Thomas Tomkowiak.