Irene Hartline envisions the Rev. Richard Ameling, the Merrillville priest who died Tuesday, in the role of St. Simon of Cyrene, who was said in the Bible to have shouldered Jesus' cross for part of the torturous walk to Calvary.

Ameling, the pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Merrillville and founder of St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, was relentless in his work for the church, and supportive of his parishioners, Hartline said. Ameling motivated Hartline to continue running the church's children's programs, she said.

"If I was discouraged by anything, he always encouraged me," Hartline said.

Church custodian Bob Bielak felt the sting of Ameling's loss Tuesday. Ameling was the engine behind an in-progress church remodeling project, Bielak said.

"It just ain't fair," Bielak said.

Ameling, 67, died Tuesday afternoon of pulmonary fibrosis, four months after a successful cancer surgery, said Ameling's brother, John Ameling, of Sunnyvale, Calif.

Richard Ameling, a Merrillville native, was so impressed with his Catholic priest uncle, the Rev. Henry Ameling, that he decided to enter the priesthood.

"Probably from the time that he was 4, he only talked about wanting to be a priest," John Ameling said.

After elementary school, Richard Ameling went to seminaries in Indiana and Ohio. He was ordained May 28, 1966, John Ameling said. Richard Ameling served as a chaplain for the Indiana National Guard from 1970 to 1976, John Ameling said.

Richard Ameling founded St. Maria Goretti in 1977. Ameling raised a congregation before the church had any buildings, said the Rev. Charles Niblick, now the church's pastor. The church's rectory -- in which Ameling lived and Niblick still lives -- was built by parishioners with lumber from the defunct Nike Missile Defense System barracks, Niblick said.

"He built this parish out of nothing, and he built people first," Niblick said.

Richard Ameling was transferred to Notre Dame Church in Michigan City in 1994, John Ameling said. The priest came to St. Andrew in 2003.

Richard Ameling enjoyed skiing, fishing, photography and woodworking, John Ameling said.

Funeral services are slated for 10 a.m. Monday at St. Andrew, with a visitation from 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the church.