Pamela O'Haver Day

Pamela (O’Haver) Day, 63, of Indianapolis, died of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma on November 30th, 2022. She was surrounded by loved ones at her home in Lockerbie.

Pamela was born in 1959 to Ralph and Nancy O’Haver. She graduated from Howe High School, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston University in 1985 and a Masters in Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing from Indiana University in 2003. Pamela was a practitioner in psychiatry/mental health at her private practice, Mind and Body Matters, Indiana University Health, and Jane Pauley Community Health Centers.

Married in 1984 to Mark Day, they became the parents of three wonderful children; Lauren, Christine, and Aaron. All her children were steadfastly dedicated to Pamela’s treatment and end of life care. Pamela is also survived by her rambunctious golden doodle, Miller and shy cat, Helen. Other survivors include her mother Nancy (Robin Run Memory Care) and sister Kathleen (Katie and Maggie) who resides in Denville, NJ.
During her lifetime, Pamela was a pioneer for the practice of mindfulness and continually pursued her passion for improving the care of individuals struggling with mental illness. She was engaged in research of mindfulness strategies for educational preparation and clinical practice. With her dear friends and colleagues, Sara Horton-Deutsch and Michelle Nelson, she authored professional articles, book chapters and clinical tools, and spoke at numerous nursing conferences on the topic of mindfulness in research education and practice.

In her personal life, Pamela was an avid reader, seamstress, a porch gardener, and home cook who loved using vegetables from Growing Places Indy. With her eldest daughter, Lauren, Pamela was a member of the Indianapolis Women’s Chorus for over 10 years. She loved to travel and two of her more favorite trips were hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail with her son Aaron in 2011, and traveling with her children to celebrate her 60th birthday to Ireland in 2019. Pamela enjoyed living in downtown Indianapolis where she embraced urban life. She had a close-knit group of friends with whom she spent meaningful time and weekly gatherings. A recent friends’ trip to lake Michigan in September was a particularly treasured week.

Pamela will be cremated and her ashes spread at one of her favorite places, Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York. Contributions may be made in her memory to the International Society of Psychiatric Nursing or Indiana University Simon Cancer Center Lymphoma Research. There will be no memorial service.