School Sister of St. Francis Jesse Marie Mortimer, 91, died in Milwaukee on March 16.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Jesse Marie was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1954, made her first professions of vows in 1956 and perpetual vows in 1962.

Beginning in 1957, Sister Jesse Marie ministered in the archdioceses of Chicago, Omaha and Milwaukee. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Benedict High School from 1983 to 1989.

Sister Jesse Marie is survived by her brothers, John and Eugene Mortimer.

Providence Sister Joan Mary (Mary Ann) Schaefer, 95, died March 20 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Cicero, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1948 and professed final vows in 1956. In her 76 years as a Sister of Providence, she taught for 46 years in schools in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Massachusetts, including 21 years as a principal. Retiring from full-time teaching in 1998, she continued to substitute in the Chicago area.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Our Lady of Sorrows (1968-1969), was principal of Immaculate Conception (1975-1989), taught at St. Francis Borgia (1990-1992) and at Providence-St. Mel (1992-1998).

In 2017, she moved to the motherhouse, where she served in a variety of ways, the foremost being Providence Hall receptionist.

Felician Sister Mary Theophilia (Theresa) Tworzydlo, 92, died March 24, in Swedish/North Shore Hospital.

Born in Chicago, she attended St. John of God School and Lourdes High School.  She entered the Felician Sisters Postulancy in 1951 and professed her final vows in 1959.  She ministered as an elementary teacher in  Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin for a total of 20 years. Later, she

served in a variety of positions at St. Andrew Life Center in Niles.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at St. Mary Magdalene (1953-1957), Good Shepherd (1957-1959, 1977-1978), St. Bruno (1960-1965), Holy Innocents (1967-1971), St. Stanislaus, Posen (1973-1977) and St. Andrew Life Center, Niles (1978-2014).

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Diane (Mary Alana) Kennedy, 91, died March 30 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Oak Park, she entered the Sininsawa Dominican congregation in 1957, and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Rosary College. She later earned master’s degrees in English and theology and a doctorate in ministry.

Sister Diane’s ministry was dedicated to teaching, preaching and administration. She served her congregation as director of initial formation and as vicaress of the congregation. She was executive director of the Parable Conference for Dominican Life and Mission; director of ministry at St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota; academic dean at Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis.; and associate provost and vice president for mission and ministry at Dominican University. Sister Diane concluded her public ministry as promoter for the cause of Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP.    

She is survived by a sister, Jane Gelinas.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Virginia (John Martha) Helmann, 89, died April 1 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. 

Born in Wisconsin, she professed vows with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in 1955.

She taught at Visitation and schools in Chicago as well as in other cities in Illinois and in Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin. She also ministered in spiritual direction in New York and as a holistic health therapist at the Dominican Motherhouse in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Father Matthias E. Lorenz, 81, died March 5. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former chaplain of St. Anthony Hospital and university professor.

Born in Chicago, Father Lorenz attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1969. He also earned a master’s degree in music at the Chicago Conservatory College, a master’s degree in public administration at Roosevelt University and a doctorate in theology and human sciences with concentration on issues in medical ethics and bioethics at the University of Chicago.

Father Lorenz was assistant pastor of St. Gregory the Great and St. Agnes of Bohemia Parish. He later served at De La Salle Institute and was director of pastoral care and chaplain at St. Anthony Hospital. He also served as: a teacher and dorm counselor at Benedictine University in Lisle; adjunct professor at DePaul University; and visiting professor and Newman Center associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He retired in 2014.

Father Leon Rezula, former pastor of St. Julian Eymard Parish in Elk Grove Village, remembered the child-like simplicity and profound faith of his classmate.

“He had a variety of experience in his priesthood,” Rezula said. “He was very outgoing, loved people and loved to meet new people.”

Deacon Leonard Richardson, 88, died Feb. 26. He was ordained in 1988 and served at St. Sabina Parish.

He was born in Louisiana and moved to Chicago with his family when he was 4 years old. He attended Holy Trinity and St. James schools and De La Salle Institute, becoming one of that school’s first African American students. He went to DePaul University to study accounting.

He married his childhood sweetheart, the late Beverly Ann Goodman, in 1957, and the couple had eight children. Deacon Richardson worked for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, with extra jobs to support his family at Sears and at H&R Block.

After viewing the body of Emmett Till in 1955, Deacon Richardson became active in the Civil Rights Movement, and in 1966 marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park.

He and his family were among the first African American families to join St. Sabina Parish in 1965. Deacon Richardson sang in the choir and was a fourth degree Knight of St. Peter Claver before entering diaconate formation.

He is survived by daughters Yolanda, Linda, Latanya, Donna, Deidra, Angela and Coretta and son Leonard Malcolm; his sister Katherine Richardson; 33 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

School Sister of St. Francis Sister Irene Daniels, 95, died Feb. 4 at Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Irene was received into the community in 1946, made her first vows in 1949 and made her final vows in 1954.

Beginning in 1948, Sister Irene ministered in Illinois and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Matthias School from 1948 to 1955.

In retirement, Sister Irene volunteered and ministered through her prayer and presence at St. Joseph Convent in Milwaukee (2003-2015) and at Our Lady of the Angels from 2015 until her death.

School Sister of St. Francis Maureen Durkin, 79, died Feb. 15 in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Maureen was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1965; made her first profession of vows in 1967; and made her final vows in 1976.

Beginning in 1968, Sister Maureen ministered in Chicago and Milwaukee. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered in Chicago in home care for another sister’s parent in 1994, then served as a registered nurse at St. Joseph Home (1995-2006), St. Joseph Village (2006-2007), Hospice of Illinois (2007-2009) and Maxim Health Care Services (2009-2011).

Most recently, Sister Maureen ministered as a health advocate for her community’s U.S. province from 2011 until the time of her death.

Sister Maureen is survived by her sister, Mary Eileen Wudtke, and her brother, Edward Durkin.

Divine Word  Father Gerald Theis, 92, who served in remote areas of Papua New Guinea, died March 10 in Techny.

Born in Aurora, Father Theis entered the Divine Word Seminary in East Troy, Wisconsin, in 1946 and professed vows in 1952. In addition to his theology degrees, he earned a master’s degree in education from the Catholic University of America.

Father Theis was ordained to the priesthood in 1960 and left for the Archdiocese of Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea in 1961. For the first eight years of his priesthood, he worked in a remote mountain area with people who had never seen a European or a trader. To visit the 53 mission stations and 20,000 people in his care, he walked thousands of miles.

In 1969, Father Theis was appointed education secretary and archdiocesan supervisor of schools. He also served as chairman of the Governing Council of Holy Trinity Teachers College in Mount Hagen, and later became vicar general of the archdiocese.

He moved to Techny in 2013, and assisted at weekend Masses at St. Nicholas Parish, Evanston, and other area parishes.

“He was a model missionary and model priest — hardworking, dedicated to people, prayerful and faithful in all that he did,” said Divine Word Father Joseph Bisson, a seminary classmate and fellow missionary in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.