In Memoriam
We give thanks for the following Jesuits who have gone home to God.
Fr. Philip F. Dreckman, SJ
April 20, 1928 – March 25, 2021
“Phil enjoyed sunshine and reading history. Summer days would often find him outside with a good book.”
Regent at St. Francis Mission and minister of the St. Francis Mission Jesuit community on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota; history teacher at Campion High School in Prairie du Chien, Wis., Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, and Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minn.; pastoral ministry in the Twin Cities.
Fr. Joseph B. Kappes, SJ
May 24, 1939 – May 18, 2021
“Joe liked to be with other people—whether that was playing cards, playing golf, visiting with his family, sharing a meal, or having coffee with parishioners after Mass.”
History, psychology, and religion teacher and student counselor at University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy; teacher and student counselor at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland; history, theology, and psychology teacher, assistant to the president, student counselor, assistant principal, and college guidance counselor at St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio; president of Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; associate pastor at Church of the Gesu in University Heights, Ohio, and St. Therese Catholic Church in Mooresville, N.C.; pastor of Gesu Parish in Toledo, Ohio; minister at Church of the Gesu in Milwaukee.
Fr. Paul B. Steinmetz, SJ*
July 10, 1928 – April 14, 2021
“Paul remained cheerful in the face of physical ailments and often flashed a broad smile. He was a lively companion in community and a dedicated Jesuit priest.”
Regent and teacher at Red Cloud Indian School and pastoral minister at Holy Rosary Mission on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota; doctoral studies in the anthropology of religion at the University of Stockholm in Sweden; visiting scholar; pastoral ministry in Wellington, Fla., Novato and Orinda, Calif., and Milwaukee.
*Although Fr. Steinmetz was a member of the USA Central and Southern Province, he was applied to the USA Midwest Province since tertianship.
Fr. Eugene Hattie, SJ*
July 18, 1922 – June 12, 2021
“As he continued with his mission in India, the Lord showed Fr. Hattie another field where ‘the harvest was plentiful, but the laborers were few.’”
Teacher and hostel superintendent at Bettiah, in India; teacher, principal, and hostel superintendent at various other schools in India; pastor, school principal, and teacher at Barbigha, Bihar, India; assistant principal at St. Xavier’s High School in Patna, India; mission procurator in Cleveland; teacher at St. Xavier’s High School in Lupungutu, India, St. Xavier’s High School in Delhi, India, Lake Secondary School in Mwanza, Tanzania, St. Peter’s Senior Secondary School in Kampala, Uganda, Nyenga Minor Seminary in Jinja, Uganda, and St. Paul’s Minor Seminary in Kabale, Uganda; teacher at major seminary and senior seminary in Wau, South Sudan; teacher at minor seminaries in Moroto and Tororo, Uganda; youth ministry, grant writing, and vocation promotion in Kampala, Uganda.
*Father Hattie was a member of the former Chicago and Detroit Provinces; he transcribed to the Eastern Africa Province from Patna in 1987.
Fr. William J. Ellos, SJ
May 15, 1937 – July 8, 2021
“Bill had a keen mind. He dedicated his professional life to teaching philosophy and advised numerous health care staff and patients about medical ethics.”
Latin and Greek teacher at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee; instructor at Creighton University in Omaha; philosophy professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Marquette University in Milwaukee, Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., Loyola University Chicago, and St. Mary’s University in San Antonio; clinical professor of medical ethics at the University of Texas Health Sciences Complex in San Antonio; member of the Methodist Health Care Center Institutional Review Board; author.
Fr. David L. Smith, SJ
December 3, 1953 – July 9, 2021
“David was creative, hardworking, and dedicated, always wanting to improve things and bring beauty to the environment in which he lived and ministered.”
Art teacher, assistant principal, and superior at Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; minister and professor of education at Creighton University in Omaha; director of Creighton University Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa; pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption in Panama, Iowa, St. Mary Our Lady of Fatima in Portsmouth, Iowa, and St. Boniface in Westphalia, Iowa.
Fr. Eugene F. Dwyer, SJ
September 17, 1924 – July 16, 2021
“Gene was a gentle, kind man who was attentive to the needs (and moods) of others. These traits made him an excellent student counselor, pastoral minister, guestmaster, and sub-minister.”
Latin and math teacher at Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago; English teacher, coach, and student counselor at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill.; sub-minister and guestmaster at Loyola University Chicago; community service at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Mich.