Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Mary Ellen Dow, 58, died Oct. 4 in Cincinnati.

Born and raised in Chicago, Sister Mary Ellen attended St. Peter Canisius School and Notre Dame High School.  She entered the community in 1966 and made her final vows in 1972.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Robert Bellarmine and Notre Dame High School. From 1997–2014, she served as director of campus ministry at two colleges in Massachusetts and at Trinity Washington University.    

Sister Mary Ellen is survived by her sister, Cathy A. Dow-Royer.

Divine Word Father Vincent Burke, 83, died Sept. 21 in Techny.

Born in Massachusetts, Father Burke started studying at the Divine Seminary in 1947. He professed first vows in 1953 and was ordained a priest in Techny in 1961.
He ministered for more than 50 years in Ghana.

“During his many years in Ghana, since he worked mostly in educational institutions, he produced excellent professionals: teachers, priests, ministers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, pharmacists, journalists and many others who work in different parts of the world,” said Divine Word Father Edward Tetteh, who knew Father Burke when Tetteh was growing up in Ghana.

He returned to the United States for the last time in 2011 at age 77. Five years later, in recognition of his service to the Ghanaian people, President John Dramani Mahama bestowed the honor of Office of the Order of Volta upon him.

He is survived by two brothers, Walter and Kevin Burke.

Holy Family of Nazareth Sister Marcella (Eleonore) Falat, 93, died Sept. 15.

Born in Chicago, she entered the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1946, at 22 years old, and professed final vows in 1954. 

She spent 50 years serving as a teacher or principal in Chicago area schools including Holy Trinity, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Patricia, St. Ladislaus, St. Emily, St. John the Baptist and St. Mary of Nazareth. She also spent three years at St. Andrew the Apostle School in Texas. Additionally, she served as a provincial councilor and director of ministry.

Deacon James F. Gaughan, 62, died Oct. 11 at JourneyCare Hospice in Barrington. He was ordained in 2001 at served at St. Edna Parish.

Born in Evanston, Deacon Gaughan was a lifelong Cubs fan.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon; his children Bobby and Scott Gaughan and Tracy Ellegood; his mother, Virginia; and his siblings Kathy Krakowski, Eileen Mattison and Tommy Gaughan.

Father Arthur J. Olsen, 53, died unexpectedly on Oct. 16 at Presence St. Benedict Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Niles, where he was recovering from surgery. He was most recently the associate pastor of St. Emily Parish, Mount Prospect. 

Born in New Jersey, Father Olsen moved to the Chicago area as a child and attended Divine Infant Jesus School in Westchester and Proviso West High School in Hillside. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in 1986. He later attended the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary and was ordained in 1999.

He served as associate pastor of St. John Brebeuf, Niles (1999-2004); St. Mary, Lake Forest (2004-2007); St. Hilary (2007-2014); and St. Emily, Mount Prospect (2014-2017).

Father Olsen is survived by his father, Arthur Sr., and siblings Lori Baker and Erik, John and Chris Olsen.

Father Joseph Chen-Sheng Lee (Ly), 89, died at Presence St. Benedict Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Niles on Aug. 20.

Father Lee had been associate pastor at St. Ferdinand Parish until 1992 and a resident at St. James Parish (Fullerton Avenue) until he retired in 1998.

Father Lee was born in the Anguo District of China and attended school there before attending seminary in Hong Kong and Montreal. He was ordained in Montreal in 1955 for the Diocese of Anguo.

However, he was unable to return to China. He earned a canon law degree at the Ottawa University in Canada and did post-graduate studies at Loyola University Chicago and DePaul University. He resided at St. Dionysius Parish, Cicero (1957-1958), St. Edward Parish (1958-1974) and St. Rosalie Parish, Harwood Heights (1974-1979). He was associate pastor at St. Ferdinand 1979-1992) and was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1985.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Loretto Wolff, 94, died Oct. 3 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Born in Nebraska, Sister Loretto made her first religious profession in 1945 and her final profession in 1948. 

She was a teacher, principal, pastoral minister, parish administrator, librarian and volunteer. 

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Loretto taught at St. Barnabas (1947-1953) and St. Luke, River Forest (1963-1967). 

She is survived by a sister, Dominican Sister Mary Wolff; and three brothers, John Wolff, Benedictine Abbot Theodore Wolff and F. Patrick Wolff.

Brother George Gregory Lindeman, a member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, died Sept. 30. He was 89.

Brother George Gregory was a longtime educator and administrator at Leo, St. Laurence and Brother Rice High Schools and many others throughout the U.S. and Canada.

He is survived by 14 nieces and nephews.

Providence Sister Agnes Clare (Phyllis Marie) Buckley, 80, died on Sept. 23 in Boston. 

Born in Massachusetts, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1956 and professed final vows in 1963. 

She ministered in education for 42 years in schools in Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts.  

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Our Lady of Sorrows (1960-1961) and St. Agnes (1961-1963).

Sister Agnes Clare was an early recipient of a transplanted heart and the first woman undergoing this procedure in 1989. After her recovery, she continued to give herself energetically to ministry, teaching fifth grade for another 12 years and serving as a parish and school volunteer for seven years. She was the longest living heart transplant recipient at 28 years. 

Sister Agnes Clare is survived by her brother, James, and her sister, Catherine.

Mercy Sister Sharon (Margaret) Hamm, 87, died Sept. 19.

Born in Milwaukee, she entered Sisters of Mercy in Des Plaines in 1948.

For over 50 years, Sister Sharon, whom some may remember as Sister Mary Misael, served in elementary schools in the dioceses of Davenport, Iowa; Rockford, Illinois; and Madison, Wisconsin; as well as the Archdiocese of Chicago. In the archdiocese, she taught in Des Plaines, Chicago, Libertyville, McHenry and Park Ridge, including 10 years at St. Stephen in Des Plaines and 21 years at St. Paul of the Cross, Park Ridge.

After retiring from teaching, Sister Sharon went back to St. Stephen, where she served as a librarian and then as a tutor.