Patsy Jeanette Swain

Patsy Jeannette Swain’s superpower was connecting with people. From family and friends to coworkers and neighbors – not to mention the battalion of healthcare professionals she encountered later in life – she was a listener, a beloved keeper of secrets, and a wisdom whisperer who told it like it was, no matter how hard the truth.

Pat collected a wide group of hearts over her lifetime that are now broken, like hers was, when she finally left us peacefully in her sleep on July 24, 2022.

As the family matriarch, Pat steered the family ship through waters both smooth and turbulent, keeping things afloat through sheer grit and unwavering determination even during the most devastating storms of loss. But it was her gift for making the good times great that we will remember the most.

Pat’s lifelong resilience took root during her foundational years. Born in Indianapolis on November 3, 1936, Patsy was the first daughter of Joseph and Lillian DeCenzo, and older sister to Josephine, or Joie as the family called her. Raised during the Great Depression and WWII era, Patsy didn’t focus on hardship but instead told stories of their young loving family during those years. Her dad, Joe, was a gas station owner who eventually became an IPD motorcycle officer. Her mother, Lillian, was a creative homemaker who taught her girls the practical skills that served Pat over the years when she started her own family.

Patsy’s high school sweetheart and first love was Joseph Allen Swain. They married in 1954. Joe became a police officer and Pat began her studies to become a dental assistant. After several years of trying to have a child, they eventually were surprised to welcome daughter Sheri in 1958. Sheri was the apple of the young couple’s eyes, and she became Pat’s inspiration to carry on after Joe’s untimely death at the age of 27 in 1961. Pat, Sheri, and their miniature poodle, Bobbi Lee began their own adventures as Pat kept her little family together with the support of her extended DeCenzo and Swain families.

Joe’s brother, Jim, was a dear friend who supported her during this time while Pat established herself professionally and raised Sheri. She had suitors – no surprise, given her magnetic personality – but her friendship with Jim slowly evolved over the years into the second love of her life, and eventually Jim and Pat married in November 1963.

They settled in the East Side and in 1964 they celebrated the arrival of their older daughter, Shelli and, in 1966, their youngest daughter, Staci. The family of five were avid fans of the outdoors and spent their time camping, traveling the U.S., and raising an assortment of animals from ducks to horses to dogs. The family remained on Roseway Drive until Jim and Pat decided to follow their hearts and embark on the adventure of a lifetime by becoming the owners of the Spring Valley Campground in Middletown, IN.

Both Jim and Pat’s innate hospitality and creativity established a real community of campers. From biscuits and gravy breakfasts to card tournaments and Fourth of July fireworks, their time at the campground was filled with friendship, laughs, and hard work. Spring Valley was an ideal spot to help raise their four grandchildren, starting with Shelli’s children, Brittni and Zachery Campfield, and Staci’s children, Heather Reynolds and Stefani Baker.

Sidenote: Obituaries often list grandchildren at the end, almost as an afterthought. For Pat, her entire being was filled with love for her “grandbabies” – both the grands and the great-grands. In fact, her last full sentence in the days before she died was a request that we make sure that all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren never forget her. And we promise, they won’t. For Lily, Tayton, Ellie, and Wyatt: Your great grandma remained with her heart fully present in this world for as long as she possibly could so she could see you come into this world. Her legacy in this life is each of you, along with your parents before you.

After about a decade of running the campground, the allure of retirement took Jim and Pat down to Inverness, FL with Heather and Stefani. There, Pat was active as an assistant at Stefani’s school and a “gymnastics mom” driving an hour each way on school days to bring Heather to her elite gymnastics gym. Their retirement included trips to the Bahamas and beach time with the family at various time shares until Jim’s death in February 2015. Pat then lost Staci to cancer in June of 2016.

During these years, Pat’s health also started to falter. She continued to amaze the family with her tenacity and drive to survive, even through the additional losses in March of 2017 of her oldest granddaughter, Brittni, and her youngest granddaughter, Stefani (Jeff Dugas), in August 2019. These staggering losses would have broken many. Not Pat and her kin. Her deeply rooted resilience from her childhood on served her well and brought the family inspiration during these dark days.

Pat’s final years were spent at Northridge Senior Living in Fishers, Indiana. Her community there – especially “The Guys” – brought her light during these dark times, with wonderful social activities and game-play. But beware the unsuspecting fool who sat at a game table with her – Pat was a fierce opponent in card games (or any game, really—you played her at your own peril). But her mischievous smile and her joy in the pursuit of a win kept us all coming back for more.

With Shelli and her fiancé, Scott, and great-granddaughter, Lily, nearby Pat also had family to give her support and supplied with ice cream (and, sometimes, dyed pink hair). She traveled to Maryland and Delaware to also spend time with the East Coast family, Sheri, Kathy, Heather, and Tayton, and Zach, Tia, Ellie, and Wyatt. We are all her closest “survivors” just like she was a survivor. And we will all carry on just like she did for us.

A memorial gathering will be held on Monday, August 1, 2022 from 12PM-2PM, with a memorial service immediately following at 2PM. All will be held at Flanner Buchanan-Washington Park East, 10722 E Washington St. Indianapolis, Indiana, 46229. Following the service, Patsy will be laid to rest in Washington Park East Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Patsy’s honor to:

The American Heart Association: American Heart Association | To be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives

OR

The Wounded Warrior Project:  Wounded Warrior Project – Donate

“Rise and shine and give God your glory, glory.”