Father George Francis Cerny, 81, died Jan. 24. He was pastor emeritus of St. Bartholomew Parish and was a resident at the Franciscan Village/ Mother Theresa Home in Lemont.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. John Nepomucene and St. Rita schools and Quigley Preparatory Seminary before graduating from DePaul University with an accounting degree.

He then served in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant (1956- 1957) before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He was ordained in 1964.

Father Cerny served as assistant pastor of Our Lady of the Mount, Cicero 1964- 1973); St. Peter Canisius Parish (1973- 1978); Holy Ghost, South Holland (1978- 1979); and St. Bartholomew (1986-1991). He was pastor of St. Teresa of Avila (1980- 1986) and St. Bartholomew (1991-2004). He was named pastor emeritus after his retirement.

Father Cerny is survived by his sister, Irene Kucharski.

Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Margaret (Aimee Julie) Michael, 100, died in Cincinnati Jan. 11. Born in Ohio, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1934 and made final vows in 1943.

Sister Margaret taught every grade from first through eighth. In the Archdiocese of Chicago she spent nine years in three schools. Her special passion was serving in inner-city schools where she understood the importance of teaching all children the skills they needed to succeed.

Sister Margaret officially retired in 1994, but remained very active in gardening and other volunteer work.

She is survived by one niece, Kevin Ann Ford.

Sister of St. Joseph-Third Order of St. Francis Regina Wachowski, 84, died Dec. 6 in Manaus, Brazil.

A member of her religious community for 68 years, she taught at St. Roman and St. Mary of Perpetual Help before embarking on a 44-year ministry in Brazil. She was a medical missionary in the Esperanca Project, traveling down the Amazon River on a hospital ship. She spent many years in the medical field before serving as a pastoral care worker in Manaus.

Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Virginia (Michael of the Trinity) Lacy, 85, died Dec. 1, 2016, in Ohio.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, she was a sister of Notre Dame de Namur for 67 years. She entered the community in 1949 and made her final vows in 1957.

She taught and served as principal of elementary schools in Chicago and Ohio, and later was a pastoral minister. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she served at St. Peter Canisius (1953-1960, 1965-1973).

Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Sister Joanne Whalen died April 30 in Bridgeton, Missouri.

Born in Chicago, she graduated from Josephinum High School in 1949 and earned a bachelor’s degree in French from Rosary College, River Forest, in 1953.

Sister Joanne worked several years before entering the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1962. She taught regular and special education in New Orleans, Missouri and Texas.

She is survived by her brother, Robert Whalen, and her sister, Mary Whalen.

Springfield Dominican Sister Mary Ventura died on April 26 at Sacred Heart Convent in Springfield, Illinois.

She was born in Bradley, Illinois, in 1928. She made her profession of vows in 1947 at Sacred Heart Convent, Springfield.

She taught primary school in Chicago, Mt. Sterling, Odell and Springfield, Illinois. In Aurora and Morrisonville, Illinois, she was a principal and junior high teacher.

She also taught in East Alton and Rantoul, spent 14 summers in Mendota administering a federally funded program for migrant children, and served part-time on the staff at Alfred Fortin Villa, Bourbonnais.

After teaching Vietnamese refugees in Peoria from 1985-1986, Sister Mary moved to St. Bernadette Parish in Evergreen Park, where she served for 30 years. She taught fourth grade, and in 1996 started Essential Learning Solutions, a computerized learning program for children and adults with learning difficulties.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Catherine Rita (Thomasina) Palmisano, 86, died April 17 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Born in Champaign, Illinois, Sister Catherine made her first religious profession in 1949 and her final profession in 1952. Sister Catherine lived her entire religious life ministering in Illinois and Wisconsin.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Catherine taught at Visitation (1949-1958) and St. Giles, Oak Park (1966-1968). She taught (1977-1999), was administrative assistant (1999-2005) and volunteered (2005-2010) at St. Thomas More.

She is survived by a sister, Mary Spradley.

=Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Marcella (Baptista) Connolly, 88, died April 13 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Sister Marcella founded the Apostolic Volunteer program in 1973, which is now Dominican Volunteers USA, and served in the leadership of the congregation.

Born in Iowa, she made her first religious profession in 1949, and her final profession in 1952.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Marcella taught at St. Brendan (1949-1951) and Holy Trinity High School (1994-2003), where she also served as campus minister (1987-1994). She served as principal at Epiphany (1976-1987); campus minister at Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest (1994- 1996); and pastoral minister at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital (2003-2006), and she was coordinator for the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation’s Preaching for the Foreign Mission Fund (2006-2007).

She is survived by a sister, Mary Alice Hansen and a brother, William Connolly.

Sister of Christian Charity De- Lourdes (Evelyn) Bragg, 104, died Dec. 4 at Sacred Heart Convent, Wilmette.

Born in Michigan, she was received into the novitiate in 1930, made first vows in 1932 and perpetual vows in 1937.

She taught in schools in Missouri, Louisiana and Iowa as well as at Mallinckrodt High School, Wilmette, where she taught ninthgrade religion, English and Latin (1942-1943).

She returned to the motherhouse in Wilmette in 1985 and began teaching art at Mallinckrodt College. When she came to Sacred Heart Convent in 1999 a group of former students followed her; they would continue to meet until 2012 in the basement of Sacred Heart Convent to paint, talk and enjoy refreshments twice a week.

Servite Father (Leroy) Philip Scherer, 95, died April 12 at St. Joseph’s Village.

Born in Chicago, he attended Our Lady of Grace School and St. Philip High School. He entered the Order of Friar Servants of Mary in 1948 and professed solemn vows in 1952. He was ordained in 1955.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, he was assistant principal at St. Philip High School; parochial vicar at Seven Holy Founders, Calumet Park; Assumption (Illinois Street); St. Donatus, Blue Island; and Annunciata; and chaplain for the Servite Sisters Mother of Sorrows Convent, Blue Island. He retired in 2004.

Father Scherer is survived by his brother, Robert.