Special to The Message
S. NEMERGUT
Rev. Robert “Bob” S. Nemergut, 82, senior priest of the Diocese of Evansville, died Feb. 15 in Jasper. He was born May 13, 1941, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Stephen J. Sr. and Helen (Miron) Nemergut.
Father Bob attended Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, Connecticut. He attended seminary at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut; St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland; Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan; Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas; St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri; and Catholic Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He was ordained a priest April 22, 1977, at St. John the Baptist Parish in Newburgh, by Bishop Francis R. Shea.
Father Bob served the Diocese of Evansville in a variety of ways, including: Associate Pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish, Newburgh, and assistant of the Newman Center at the University of Evansville; he was named Associate Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Jasper. He became Associate Pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Evansville before he was assigned to assist at St. John the Baptist Parish in Newburgh, with limited jail ministry duties. He served as Pastor of St. John Parish in Evansville, as well as offering Correctional Ministry. Father Bob was appointed the Spiritual Director of the Evansville Council of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and he was named the Diocesan representative on the Committee Against Racism. He also served as a member of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.
In July 1991, Father Bob was named Pastor in solidum at St. John Parish in Evansville, and served as a member of the Urban Ministry Team.
Father Bob was in residence at St. Anthony Parish in Evansville, before he became Associate Pastor of St. John Parish in Vincennes. He was named Associate Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish (Old Cathedral) in Vincennes, with additional duties in Corrections Ministry. In 1997, Father Bob was named Chaplain of the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. He took a sabbatical in 2008. Toward the end of that year, he returned as chaplain of Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. In July 2013, Father Bob retired as chaplain. He retired from active ministry July 4, 2014.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Stephen J. Nemergut Jr. Survivors include a sister-in-law, Mary Ann Nemergut.
Following the Feb. 19 Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Rosary Church in Evansville, interment was at St. Joseph Cemetery in Evansville
Look for full coverage of Father Bob’s Mass of Christian Burial in the March 1 issue of The Message. Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.
