Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Mary Irene Spraley, 94, died Nov. 13 in Cincinnati.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, she recently celebrated her 75th year of religious life.

Sister Mary Irene began her 51-year career in education teaching first graders at St. Peter Canisius Parish School (1946-1950). She spent the rest of her teaching career in Ohio.

Holy Family of Nazareth Sister Ann Marie (Patricia Ann) Cwick, 64, died Nov. 21 in Chicago.

Born in Chicago and baptized at St. Adalbert Church, she entered religious life in 1973. She attended Oakton Community College in Des Plaines and St. Mary of Nazareth School of Nursing in Chicago and earned her registered nurse certificate in 1980. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from DePaul University in 1990 and a master’s in pastoral ministry from Catholic Theological Union in 2007.

She ministered for 34 years at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital (now AMITA Health Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center) as a medical-surgical and oncology nurse. She was the last Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth to minister at the hospital, which her congregation founded in 1894.

In her free time, Sister Ann Marie helped in parish ministry at St. Helen, St. Mark, St. Malachy and St. Ann.

In 2014, she began serving as the parish nurse at St. Cornelius, a ministry she continued until she became ill in the summer of 2019.

Mercy Sister Mary Lois (Leona) Bartnicki, 88, died Nov. 23.

Born in Milwaukee, she entered the Sisters of Mercy in Des Plaines at the age of 17.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Saint Xavier University, and she taught from 1951 to 2001 in parochial elementary schools throughout the dioceses of Milwaukee and Madison in Wisconsin, and Chicago and Peoria in Illinois.

After retirement, she served as a substitute teacher for eight years.

In the summers, she taught religion classes. An athlete at heart, Sister Lois could often be found at church festivals giving lessons on how to play ring toss.

Mercy Sister Therese (Tarasia) Windham, 87, died Nov. 24 at Mercy Circle.

Sister Therese graduated from Mercy High School in Chicago in 1946 and worked as a sales clerk, typist and tutor before entering the Sisters of Mercy in 1952.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Saint Xavier University in 1957 and began teaching physics, chemistry, math and computer science, mostly in high schools and community colleges in Illinois and Wisconsin.

She earned master’s degrees in physics and computer science after starting her teaching career.

She also participated in the Bible study group at St. Linus Parish for five years.

Divine Word Father John Fincutter, 96, died Nov. 27. He was the only Divine Word missionary to serve three consecutive terms as rector of the Techny community.

As rector, Father Fincutter oversaw the construction of the Divine Word Residence.

Born in Libertyville, Father Fincutter began his studies with the Divine Word Missionaries in 1938, professed vows in 1943 and was ordained to the priesthood at Techny in 1950.

Recognizing his academic abilities, his superiors sent him to England for his first assignment. While in Great Britain, he served as headmaster at St. Richard’s College in Hadzor. He also served two terms as provincial of the British Province.

After two decades in Great Britain, Father Fincutter returned to the United States. He was elected rector of the Techny Community in 1973 and held that position until 1982. In addition to overseeing the building of the present residence building, he championed the creation of a landfill that produced significant revenue that was used in the Chicago Province and in the foreign missions.

Father Fincutter later taught Scripture at the minor seminary in East Troy, Wisconsin. He also served as rector of the Divine Word community in East Troy. In semi-retirement, he acted as business manager for the Divine Word community at East Troy, taught Scripture to adults in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and authored the Arnold Janssen Scripture Study Course.

Father Fincutter moved to Techny in 2013. He is survived by his brother, Robert.

Sister of the Living Word Virginia Thoen-nes, 89, died Dec. 8 in Chicago.

Born in Chicago, Sister Virginia was a Sister of the Living Word for 44 years, and a Sister of Christian Charity before that. She taught in the Chicago area and was principal of St. Gregory High School from 1976 to 1981.

She served in leadership for her community, and later as pastoral associate at various parishes in the northern suburbs. She was very involved in Church Women United and other justice works at St. Edna Parish in Arlington Heights. She lived the past eight years at Resurrection Life Center in Chicago.

She is survived by her siblings Martha Kastens and Richard Thoennes.

BVM Sister Mary Christine (Christophil) Athans, 87, died Dec. 7 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Sister Mary Christine was born in Joliet, Illinois, and entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1955. She made final vows in 1963.

She was an adjunct professor at Loyola University Institute of Pastoral Studies and Catholic Theological Union, both in Chicago. She was assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Illinois in Champaign. She also taught at universities in Minnesota and California. She began her ministry by teaching high school and elementary school, including St. Eugene School.

Sister Mary Christine wrote extensively on Jewish-Christian relations, including her book “In Quest of the Jewish Mary: The Mother of Jesus in History, Theology and Spirituality.”

She served on more than 20 boards and committees, including the Chicago-Jewish Scholars Dialogue sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Chicago Board of Rabbis and the United Jewish Federation of Greater Chicago.

She is survived by siblings Catherine Athans and Cyril Athans.

Father George H. Clements, 87, died Nov. 25. He was pastor emeritus of Holy Angels Parish.

Born in Chicago, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, becoming its first African American graduate, and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1957.

After ordination, Father Clements was assistant pastor of St. Ambrose and St. Dorothy parishes. He served as pastor of Holy Angels from 1969 to 1991 and later ministered in the Diocese of Nassau in the Bahamas, West Indies, and the Archdiocese of Washington. He retired in 2006.

Father Clements was active in the civil rights movement, marching with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago, Alabama and Mississippi.

Father Clements, an advocate for adoption, is survived by his four sons, 15 grandchildren and his sister.

He requested that his body be donated to the Loyola University School of Medicine. A memorial service is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2020, Clements’ 88th birthday, at St. Sabina Church.

Sister of the Living Word Rosaria (Margaret Anna) Schlechter, 89, died Nov. 13 in Chicago.

Born in Minnesota, she made her final vows in 1954. She was a Sister of the Living Word for 44 years, and before that, a Sister of Christian Charity.

Sister Rosaria taught at St. Martha, Morton Grove, for nine years; was a teacher of the blind at Holy Trinity School; and served for 22 years at St. Raphael School in Englewood, where she also was the principal. She also served in Minnesota.

She lived her last few years at the Living Word Center in Arlington Heights and at Resurrection Life Center in Chicago in the ministry of prayer and presence.

Adrian Dominican Sister Lila Watt, 90, died Nov. 21 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Elmhurst, Illinois, she graduated from Josephinum High School. She was in the 68th year of her religious life.

Sister Lila ministered in Michigan, Florida, the Bahamas and Illinois.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Queen of Apostles, Riverdale (1966-1968); St. Kilian (1968-1969); Aquinas High School (1969-1972); Immaculata High School (1972-1973); St. Casimir High School (1976-1979); St. Procopius (1981-1983); and St. Barbara (Throop Street) (1983-1987). She was assistant director at Metropolitan School of Business (1973-1976), parish secretary at St. Rita of Cascia (1988-1989), secretary for the Catholic Youth Office (1989-1990); and executive secretary for the St. Joseph Carondelet Child Center (1990-1991) and the Midwest and Upper Midwest Mission Chapters, Hometown (1991-1995).

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Susan Ostrowski, 65, died Nov. 15 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Susan made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican in 1979 and her perpetual profession in 1984.

She taught for 35 years in New York, Florida, Illinois and California. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Epiphany (1989-1993).

She is survived by a sister, Sharon Ostrowski; and three brothers, Bruce, Michael and Mark Ostrowski.

Deacon Thomas Ryan, 94, died Oct. 31. He was ordained in 1992 and served at St. Christina Parish.

Deacon Ryan was a U.S. Navy World War II veteran, worked for 32 years for People’s Gas, was a former secretary of the 19th Ward Democratic Organization and was a past Man of the Year of the Mount Greenwood Civic Association.

He is survived by his wife of 74 years, Connie; his children Constance Ryan, Thomas E. Ryan, JoEllen Martin, Martin Ryan and Patrick Ryan; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Divine Word Father Andrew Biller, 87, a missionary in the Philippines for four decades, died Nov. 2 in Techny.

Born in Missouri, he entered Divine Word Seminary at East Troy, Wisconsin, in 1949. He professed religious vows in 1953. Following ordination to the priesthood in 1961, Father Biller was sent to the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., to take graduate courses in guidance and counseling. He then served at Divine Word colleges and seminaries and as a pastoral minister in the Philippines from 1963 to 2002.

After returning to the United States, he was semi-retired but provided pastoral care for the Vietnamese community of St. Thomas of Aquinas in St. Louis. Father Biller moved to Techny in 2012.

He is survived by four sisters: Ruth Athay, Mary Searcy, Alberta Cooper and Rita Ward.

School Sister of St. Francis Lorraine (Aquinette) Quella, 97, died Oct. 5 in Milwaukee. She ministered in education for more than 75 years.

Born in Hammond, Indiana, she was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1938 and made her final vows in 1946.

Beginning in 1942, Sister Lorraine ministered in Nebraska and Illinois for more than seven decades. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Holy Angels School in Chicago for 65 years, from 1946-2011.

Benedictine Sister Eleanore (Rita) Hillenbrand, 95, died Oct. 29 at St. Joseph Court-St. Scholastica Monastery.

Sister Eleanore, a native of Chicago, attended St. Hilary School and St. Scholastica High School. She entered the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago as an aspirant in 1942 and professed her final vows in 1947. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s in English from DePaul University.

She taught at the elementary and high school levels. Sister Eleanore served as St. Scholastica’s English Department chairperson, the Benedictine Sisters’ director of studies, executive secretary to the prioress, and in other community positions. She served predominately in Illinois, but also in Colorado.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Eleanore taught in parish schools at St. Hilary, St. Symphorosa and St. Lambert in Skokie and at St. Scholastica High School (1957-1992).

Mercy Sister Regine Fanning, 96, died Nov. 5 at Mercy Circle.

Born in Utah, she was educated by Sisters of Mercy in Chicago and joined the congregation upon graduation from high school. She began teaching after professing vows in 1942. She taught for 28 years at levels from kindergarten through high school.

She earned master’s degrees from Mundelein College, the University of Illinois and the University of San Francisco.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she served as religious education coordinator at Sacred Heart Parish in Palos Hills for 15 years, then as a pastoral associate at Christ the King and St. Ethelreda parishes. She later served as a spiritual counselor.

She also wrote several books for adults and children.

Adrian Dominican Sister Margaret Ann (Robert Jean) Roggenbuck, 84, died Nov. 7 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Michigan, she was in the 65th year of her religious life.

She ministered in Illinois and Michigan. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Santa Maria Del Popolo, Mundelein (1954-1958); Our Lady of Knock, Calumet City (1958-1962); St. Kilian (1962-1966); and St. Philip Neri (1966-1969). She was principal of St. Edmund, Oak Park (1969-1972).

Sister Margaret is survived by her sisters, Evelyn Stein and Jean Merkler, and her brothers, Barthol, John, Michael, Robert, William and Joseph.

Deacon Louis Francis Barone, 92, of Woodstock, died Oct. 23 at his home surrounded by his family. Deacon Barone was ordained in 1987 and served at St. Ansgar Parish, Hanover Park.

Born in Cicero, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944, after graduating from high school. He graduated from the DePaul University School of Law in 1951.

In 1961, he married his wife, Joan Sweeney, now deceased. He served as a Hanover Park village trustee, village clerk and, for 12 years, village president. He also was active in the Illinois Municipal League and the Northwest Municipal Conference.

He was ordained a deacon after retiring from municipal government, serving in a variety of ministries at St. Ansgar, including as business manager. He started a village-wide food pantry and a police chaplain ministry.

He moved to Woodstock to live with his family after the death of his wife, and was active at St. Mary Parish there.

He is survived by his son, John Barone; daughter, Mary Ann Rizzo; three grandchildren; and a sister, Nancy Gray.

Deacon William D. Maune, 95, died Oct. 24. He was ordained for the Diocese of Rochester in 1982 and began serving at St. Irenaeus Parish, Park Forest, when he moved to Illinois in 1994.

Deacon Maune was a World War II veteran who served in the Army Air Corps as a ball gunner on a B-24 Liberator. He married his high school sweetheart, Winnie, on a furlough in 1944. After the war he worked as a steamfitter, an exterminator and then worked for Kodak. During his career at Kodak, he worked in New York; Chicago; Hartford, Connecticut; Boston and Rochester, New York, where he retired in 1982 to work full-time as a deacon.

He continued his work as a deacon at St. Irenaeus Parish until he retired in 2002, due to his blindness. He continued to serve as a eucharistic minister and volunteer at St. Irenaeus until his death.

He was predeceased by his wife, Winifred. He is survived by his children Bernadette Maune, Mary Fote, William Maune, Anne Bell and Joseph Maune; nine grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

Deacon Thaddeus W. “Ted” Czarnecki, 86, died Oct. 26, He was ordained in 1977 and has served at Queen of the Rosary and St. Julian Eymard parishes in Elk Grove Village, where he lived for 59 years.

Deacon Czarnecki was a Navy veteran, a retired accountant/comptroller, served as coach and treasurer for Elk Grove Village Boys Baseball and was a former 10-year member and treasurer for the Lions Club of Elk Grove Village.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Geraldine; children Thaddeus Czarnecki, Karen J. Wolak and Kathleen M. Czarnecki; four grandchildren; and a brother, Leonard Scott.