Divine Word Brother Wayne Till, 85, died at Techny on Feb. 8.

Born in Iowa, Brother Wayne entered formation with the Society of the Divine Word after graduating from high school in 1951.

While in formation at Techny, he worked as an assistant in the Techny Mission Gardens.

In 1960, Brother Wayne professed vows and was assigned to the congregation’s dairy farm in Kellyville, Australia.

After 10 years in Australia, Brother Wayne was assigned as a mechanic in Wewak, Papua New Guinea, where he also served as bursar for Holy Spirit Seminary in Port Moresby.

Having fulfilled 28 years of missionary service in Papua New Guinea, Brother Wayne returned to the United States in 1998. He moved to Techny in late 2018.

BVM Sister Patricia O’Rourke, 90, died Feb. 11 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Chicago, she entered the BVM congregation in 1950, from St. Eulalia Parish, Maywood.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Patricia taught at St. Tarcissus, St. Eugene and Holy Name and was an adult learning skills teacher for the City Colleges of Chicago. She was also a principal and teacher in Cedar Rapids and Clinton, Iowa.

Jesuit Father Daniel L. Flaherty, 89, died Feb. 13 in Michigan.

Born in Chicago, Father Flaherty, known as “Flax,” graduated from St. Ignatius High School before entering the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus in 1947. He was ordained a priest in 1960 and took final vows in 1965.

After moving back to Chicago in 1971, he was executive editor of Loyola University Press and the first editor/publisher of the National Jesuit News (1971-1973) and provincial of the Chicago Province (1973-1979).  During his provincialate, he was a delegate at General Congregation 32 (1974-1975). 

In 1979, he returned to Loyola University Press, where he was associate director (1979-1981) and director (1981-1989). He then spent 20 years as treasurer of the Chicago Province (1989-2009). 

In addition to working in the province office, he was the acting superior of the Jesuit community at Canisius House (2003-2011). He moved to Colombiere Center in Michigan in 2011.

Deacon John Dulen, 92, died Jan. 20. He was a member of the first class of permanent deacons ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1972. He ministered at St. John Brebeuf in Niles.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia; children Michael Dulen, Maureen Dulen, Mary Beth Benson, Eileen Jennings, Kathleen Dulen, Jacqueline Dulen, Patrick Dulen and Annmarie Dulen; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Janet (Ann Raymond) Hughes, 88, died Jan. 17.

Raised in Villa Park, Illinois, Sister Janet worked in Chicago as a stenographer for five years after high school before discerning a vocation to religious life. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1955.

For nearly 20 years, Sister Janet served students and their families as a teacher at schools in Ohio and Illinois. After the Second Vatican Council, she chose to serve God in another way and began work as a secretary in Chicago for the next 30 years. In parishes where she worshipped, she served on liturgy and worship commissions, in the choir and as an extraordinary minister of Communion. For many years Janet was also part of a small faith community, where she was involved in preparing meals for the homeless.