July 23, 2010
Father John Lefler, in ‘ministry even to the end’
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
Father John W. Lefler, a retired priest of the Diocese of Evansville, died July 17, at the Woodmont Nursing Home in Boonville. He was 78.
“When he got sick, and retired at age 62, some people said it was so sad, such a shame, but I think it was God’s plan,” said Robert Hildenbrand.
Father Lefler had the memory loss symptoms of Alzheimers, but “sick like he was, whatever, he touched so many people. People came out of the woodwork to help him. He had his ministry, even to the end.”
Hillenbrand, Ramon Will and Pete Keethers, are members of the Boonville Knights of Co-lumbus Council 10257 who starting doing things for their council chaplain, Father Lefler, 20 years ago — fixing up his house in the early years, and visiting him at the nursing home in recent years.
Father Lowell Will brought Communion to Father Lefler every day, according to Hill-enbrand, because “that is part of what priests should be doing for each other.”
When Father Lefler’s memory failed to the point of not being able to pray the rosary, “two or three Baptist ladies at the nursing home led the rosary for him,” Hillenbrand said.
Two days before he died, a woman at the nursing home set up a Skype connection, using the Internet to allow Father Lefler to talk with and see his sister in Colorado.
“He had his full memory, and they talked and laughed for almost an hour,” Hillen-brand said.
Throughout his life, Father Lefler “cared for his fellow man,” said Hillenbrand. “Even in his will, everything is going to charity.”
Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfin-ger will celebrate the funeral Mass at Holy Cross Church in Fort Branch on Monday, July 26, at 11 a.m. Priests of the diocese will concelebrate.
Visitation will be at Holy Cross Church on Monday from 8:30 a.m. until the time of Mass. Burial will be in the cemetary at St. Bernard Church, Snake Run.
Father Lefler was born Au-gust 12, 1931, in Fort Branch, the son of William and Mary Obert Lefler, members of St. Bernard Church, Snake Run.
He is survived by three sisters, Mary E. Lefler of Fort Branch, Patricia Hall of Fort Branch and Dorothy Morgan of Littleton, Colo. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Joseph Lefler in 1933 and Richard P. Lefler in 2002.
After studies at St. Meinrad Seminary and in Innsbruck, Austria, he was ordained a priest on April 6, 1957.
Father Lefler’s first assignment was to Sacred Heart Church in Evansville as assistant pastor. Subsequent assign-ments in Evansville included assistant pastor at Assump-tion Cathedral from 1962 to 1967, teaching at Magister Noster Latin School from 1964 to 1968, and assistant at St. Boniface from 1967 to 1968.
In 1968, he was named pastor of All Saints Church in Cannelburg, and added additional responsibilities as ad-ministrator of St. Patrick Church, Corning, from 1970 to 1974.
Father Lefler was named pastor of St. Clement Church in Boonville in 1974, then of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Petersburg in 1976.
He also served as Chaplain of the Washington, Ind., Legion of Mary from 1968 to 1972, as a diocesan consultor and as a member of the Priests’ Personnel Board, and as Dean of the Newburgh Deanery from 1975 to 1976.
After a period of health leave in 1980, he returned to active ministry as associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Evansville, then of Christ the King Church in Evansville.
He was appointed pastor of St. Martin Church in Chris-ney in 1984. In 1988, he took health leave until becoming a member of the Clergy Assist-ance Pool in January 1990. He retired in 1994.