Benedictine Sister Anne (Barbara) Krall, 88, died Jan. 5 at St. Scholastica Monastery.

She was born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado, and entered the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago in 1954. She made her final vows in 1959.

In Chicago, she taught at Queen of All Saints, St. Joseph, St. Hilary and St. Symphorosa. She also taught at a number of schools and directed parish religious education programs in Colorado.

Sister of Notre Dame of Namur Rita (St. Clement) Schirtzinger, 88, died Dec. 27 in Cincinnati.

Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, she entered the community in 1946 and made her final vows in 1954.

Sister Rita taught elementary school in parish schools in Ohio and Illinois. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Victor. When Sister Rita retired from formal teaching, she tutored adults and helped them pass their GED and gain computer skills.

Sister Rita is survived by one sibling, Ida Dunkman.

Rabbi Herman Schaalman, 100, died Feb. 1. One of the foremost Reform rabbis in the United States, he was a leader in the movement for interfaith dialogue and one of the founders of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago.

He was a close friend of Cardinal Bernardin and participated in his funeral rites.

Rabbi Schaalman came to the United States from his native Germany to study in 1935. He came to Chicago in 1949 to serve as the Midwest director of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. In 1956, he became the senior rabbi at Emanuel Congregation, 5959 N. Sheridan Road, where he served for 30 years.

According to an article in the JUF News in honor of his 100th birthday, Rabbi Schaalman served as a trustee on the board of the Millennium Institute and a member of the executive committee of the Council for the Parliament of World Religions. In 1991, the president of Germany honored him with the award of the Order of Merit, First Class. The International Council of Christians and Jews gave Schaalman its highest honor, the Interfaith Gold Medallion — Peace Through Dialogue. Among his honorary doctorates was one from Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park, where he also served on the faculty.

He is survived by his children, Susan Youdovin and Michael Schaalman, and five grandchildren.

Deacon Robert O’Keefe, 88, died Jan. 31. He was ordained in 1984 and served at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Niles.

He retired as vice president of human resources after 50 years of service at Fel-Pro in Skokie, where he was known as an advocate for all employees.

He is survived by his wife, Joan; children Kevin, Patrick and Timothy O’Keefe; and Mary Walsh, Kathleen O’Neill and Eileen Reisel; 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

BVM Sister Janita Curoe, 87, died Feb. 10 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Iowa, Sister Janita entered the BVM congregation in 1946 and professed final vows in 1954.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Janita taught elementary school at St. Eugene. She also taught in Iowa, Tennessee and Mississippi.