Father Gerald Leo Timmel, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville, died on July 22. He was 94 and had been a priest for 69 years.
Father Timmel, a native of Louisville, attended the old St. Benedict School and St. Mary’s College in St. Mary’s, Ky., for high school and college. He completed major seminary at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Ind. He was ordained a priest on May 26, 1956. He completed graduate studies in biblical spirituality at Catholic Theological Union in 1989.
Father Timmel served as a pastor of St. Mildred Church in Somerset, Ky. (now part of the Lexington Diocese), St. Helen Church and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. He served as an associate pastor at St. Helen, St. Pius X Church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Church of Our Lady and St. Ignatius Martyr Church.
He served nationally with the Catholic Engaged Encounter Movement and was an Engaged Encounter presenter. He was also a member of the Knights of Peter Claver.
He also served the archdiocese as a representative on Priests’ Council, a spiritual director for the Pre-Cana Movement and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and he was a member of the Retired Priests’ Board.
He is survived by his sister, Bertha.
Visitation will be July 26 at Mary Queen of Peace Church, 4005 Dixie Highway, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will immediately follow the visitation. Burial will be with family in Calvary Cemetery.
