Mike Defabis

Mike DeFabis, 86 of Indianapolis passed away peacefully at home on July 13th surrounded by his loving family. Born, June 4, 1932 he was the youngest of four sons to Dominica and Mike Sr.

Mike graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1950. After graduation he married the love of his life, Jean Meyer. He served in the US Navy and Army Reserve. After his time in the service he joined his parents and three brothers to run the family grocery business, Safeway Quality Foods, which later became Preston-Safeway.

He was a businessman and a political leader, serving as Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis under Dick Lugar from 1972- 1974, where Mike was known as a trouble shooter who got things done.  He helped shape Lugar’s vision for the future of Indianapolis and oversaw the construction of Market Square Arena and the redevelopment of the City Market.

The family business was sold in 1985 and Mike and Jean moved to Kansas City where he joined Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) as Chief Operating Office and retired as Chief Executive Officer.

He was very active with the Golden Gloves of Indianapolis, where he was a referee and judged for many amateur and professional boxing matches. His involvement with boxing led to a role as a referee in the 1979 film ‘The Prize Fighter’, starring Tim Conway and Don Knots. He occasionally would boast about still receiving his royalty checks from the Screen Actor’s Guild.

He was an avid golfer and a member of Highland Golf and Country Club.  He had the opportunity to play with many celebrities and sports greats along the way. He and Jean were active in the Indianapolis Ski Club where they made many life-long friends.  They traveled the world and made memories together during their 62 years of marriage, including a trip to his parents’ hometown of Amaseno, Italy with their 21 family members. He loved to play cards and bocce and was a voracious reader.

Following his retirement, he pursued his lifelong passion of art by enrolling in the Kansas City Art Institute becoming the oldest freshman ever to enroll.  He became proficient in pastels and his works included still lifes and landscapes, many of them images from his travels.  The beautiful artwork fills his home and the homes’ of every family member and his many friends.  As a way to honor and give back to an organization that was a huge part of Mike and Jean’s life, in 2017 he hosted an Art Show and sale that raised over $30,000 to benefit the Eskenazi Health Foundation.

Of all of his many accomplishments, he considered his family to be his greatest.  He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, Phil, Ernesto and Julio and his wife, Jean (Meyer) DeFabis. He is survived by his cousin George DeFabis; his children, Mark (Joan), Chris (Jim Gish), Monica (Cheyenne Schierbaum), Julia (Brian Husselman); his eight grandchildren, Maggie, Michael, Laura, Nick, Amy, Sophie, Grant and Cody; and his eleven great-grandchildren.  His loud and boisterous family gave him endless hours of joy and was a constant source of love.  In the weeks preceding his passing he was able to visit each of his family members. In his own words he left this life with nothing undone and nothing unsaid.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, July 17^th, 2018 at St. Alphonsus Liguori Roman Catholic Church, 1870 W Oak St in Zionsville, IN at 11AM.  Calling will begin at 9AM.

In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mike’s memory to Little Sisters of the Poor Indianapolis, 2345 West 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46260-1905 or Eskenazi Health Foundation, 720 Eskenazi Ave. Fifth Third Bank Building Indianapolis, IN 46202.