Jane Patten Fay

Jane Patten Fay

Jane Patten Fay, loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died peacefully on Thursday, January 13, at Hoosier Village Retirement Community in Indianapolis. She was 98.

A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, she was born August 7, 1923 to Margaret and Franklin W. Strohm. Following graduation from Shortridge High School, she attended Salem College and Duke University where she made many lifelong friends and met John (Jack) W. Patten. Their wedding during WWII marked the beginning of a happy marriage until Jack’s death in 1971. She is survived by their three children, Jackie (Wali) Naibi, Charles (Peggy) Patten, and John (Christine) Patten, Jr. Much beloved by her family, she was blessed with six grandchildren, Nilufar Naibi, Mariam Naibi, Christopher Patten, Audrey Patten, Hillary (Patten) Maxwell, Kirsten (Patten) Summer, and two great grandchildren, Hannah Hodges and Olivia Summer. A later marriage to Pete Fay, who predeceased her in 1980, widened her family circle.

With a career in teaching, Jane touched the lives of many young people, was also active in Indiana Landmark Tours, Stansfield Circle, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Republican Party, Zionsville Garden Club, Daughters of the American Revolution and faithfully honored her strong family heritage with the Moravian Church. Her passions were travel, painting, gardening and music. She generously hosted family, friends, and welcomed to her home Chinese musicians, Belgian dancers and many IU health care interns.

There will be a Private Burial for Jane at Crown Hill Cemetery.  In the Spring of 2022 the family will honor the life of Jane with a Celebration of Jane’s Life at the Hoosier Village in the Chapel.