In memoriam: Norma Dowd Krentz, mother of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.
Norma Dowd Krentz, the mother of University of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., died Sunday at her home in South Bend. She was 88.
Born in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Mrs. Krentz graduated from Presentation Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, and lived for many years in Michigan City, Indiana. She retired as a statistical engineer from the Northern Indiana Public Service Company after previously working as a legal secretary for the Michigan City law firm Kenefick, Brennan and Gilmore.
She is survived by Father Dowd; her daughter, Mary (Jim) Wiegand; 13 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; her brother Charles Schafer Jr.; a stepdaughter, Lynn (Sanjiv) Mittal; two stepsons, Tim (Michele) Krentz and Richard (Denise) Krentz; and many nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Krentz was preceded in death by her husband, Harvey Krentz; parents, Charles and Flora Schafer; sisters, Mary Anderson and Flora Wessel; brother James Schafer; and a stepdaughter, Sally Finck. She was also preceded in death by Robert A. Dowd Sr., Notre Dame class of 1956.
Visitation will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday (Aug. 16) in Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart, followed by a Mass of Christian burial. The funeral Mass will be livestreamed. A private burial will take place at Greenwood Cemetery in Michigan City at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the following:
- Holy Cross Mission Center — donate.holycrossmissions.org or Holy Cross Mission Center, P.O. Box 543, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0543
- The Transformational Leaders Program at Notre Dame — giveto.nd.edu/dowd-memorial
- The Hospice Foundation’s Center for Hospice Care — foundationforhospice.org or Center for Hospice Care, 501 Comfort Place, Mishawaka, IN 46545
Latest University News
- ‘One must hold up the dignity of all human life’: Distinguished scholars discuss history, future of Israel and Palestine at Notre Dame Forum eventDistinguished scholars Hussein Ibish and David Myers joined the University of Notre Dame’s Maura Policelli on Sept. 25 at DeBartolo Hall for a discussion addressing the approaching first anniversary of the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The event began the Israel-Palestine Series of the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum on “What Do We Owe Each Other?”
- Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to speak at Notre Dame Forum eventCondoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. Secretary of State, the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and a Notre Dame alumna, will participate in a “fireside chat” with University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., at 4 p.m. Friday (Oct. 11) as part of the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum. The conversation, titled “The Perils of U.S. Isolationism,” will take place in the Leighton Concert Hall in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center and will also be livestreamed. The event is free, but ticketed, with tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning one hour beforehand.
- Alumni Association honors outstanding alumni during fall board of directors meetingThe University of Notre Dame Alumni…
- Six new faculty join psychology department to advance research on mental health, other disordersThe Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame has hired six new faculty members this year, a significant expansion of a field that is core to the University’s commitment to fighting the U.S. mental health crisis.
- Notre Dame receives significant gift from the Ernestine Morris Carmichael Raclin estateThe Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame is the beneficiary of a significant gift of paintings, sculptures, and decorative art objects from the estate of Ernestine Morris Carmichael Raclin.
- Notre Dame juniors Faiza Filali, Angela Olvera named Obama-Chesky Voyager ScholarsUniversity of Notre Dame juniors Faiza Filali and Angela Olvera have been named to the third cohort of Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholars. They are Notre Dame’s second and third Voyager Scholars after senior Raleigh Kuipers, who recently returned from Latin America as a member of the second cohort.
