Adrian Dominican Sister Mary Rita (Ann Catherine) Gleason, 96, died Dec. 26 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in New York, she was in the 79th year of her religious life.

Sister Mary Rita ministered in Illinois, Florida, California, Michigan and Kentucky. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Aquinas High School (1942-1944).

Sister Mary Rita is survived by one sister, Patricia Jean Ferrin.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary (John Mark) Woods, 93, died Dec. 22, 2015 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

A Missouri native, she made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican in 1949 and her final profession in 1952. She served in Illinois and Wisconsin and she taught science and chemistry for 46 years.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary taught at Trinity High School, River Forest (1949-1953) and Rosary College/Dominican University, River Forest (1953- 1957, 1960-1997). She also served at Dominican University as an adviser (1997-1998) and tutor (1997-1998 and 2004-2011).

Dominican Father Giles A. Klapperich, 94, died Dec. 19 in Chicago.

He was born in South Dakota and survived all 15 of his siblings.

He entered the Dominican novitiate in 1946 and made his first profession of vows the next year at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory in River Forest. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1953.

He did parish ministry and was a chaplain in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Wisconsin before serving as a missionary in Nigeria. He went on to serve in Louisiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Colorado, including an assignment as associate pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer, River Forest. He moved to St. Pius V Priory, the Dominican assisted- living community in Chicago, in 2005 and relocated to Resurrection Life Center in 2014.

Dominican Father Robert Alexius Goedert, 89, died Dec. 19 in Palos Park.

Born in Oak Park, Father. Goedert attended St. Giles School and was a 1943 graduate of Fenwick High School in Oak Park.

He entered the Dominicans in 1944 and was given the religious name Alexius and professed first vows the following year at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory in River Forest.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1951 at St. Pius V Church.

He served in New Orleans and then as an active duty chaplain for the U.S. Air Force (1960-1965). He served as a reserve chaplain until 1988. He held various provincial administrative jobs, and from 1990 until his retirement he was involved in preaching ministry across the country and abroad.

Father Goedert lived in the assisted-living community at St. Pius V Priory for many years until he needed 24-hour care. The last few months of his life he lived at the Holy Family Villa in Palos Park, where he died.

He is survived by his brothers, Bishop Raymond Goedert and William Goedert, and his sister, Caroline Doyle.