Patricia I. Davis

August 18, 1927-July 15, 2025

Patricia (Glass) Davis, 97, Indianapolis, passed away Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Greenwood, Indiana.

She was born in Memphis TN, moving to Indianapolis with her family as a child.

Patricia was a proud graduate of Ben Davis High School.

She was the eldest of six Westside children, and she and husband Kenneth C. Davis, Indianapolis, a heroic WW II veteran, had four children of their own.  Kenneth, former co-owner of Speedway Auto Parts, predeceased Patricia in 1984.

Following high school, “Pat” worked in the insurance business in Downtown Indianapolis.

Upon marriage, she briefly took on the role of a postwar “baby boomer” mom and “housewife”.

However, she ultimately turned the “housewife” label upside down, defying the stereotype as she greatly expanded her interests, while remaining an iconic and remarkable Mom, Wife, Sister, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother.

Pat loved music and read music. She belonged to a music club for many years and had quite the collection–everything from classical and pops symphony orchestras to Josh Groban, Andy Williams, Frank Valli,” Jersey Boys”, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, and Andrea Bocelli.

She loved Broadway Shows and plays and had season tickets to Starlight Musicals at Butler University for many years, seeing many musical artists and shows at the wonderful outdoor venue.

She was an avid reader and news junkie, subscribing to the Indianapolis Star her entire life, reading it daily. She also was a longtime subscriber of the Wall Street Journal, following the stock market and learning about various companies.  Pat followed local, national, world and political news.

She was a fundraiser for WFYI Indianapolis–the local PBS station–in its early years, walking door to door collecting donations.

She participated in health research studies for many years–in particular, Bone Studies at IU School of Medicine.

Mrs. Davis belonged to an all-woman investment club.  She was club treasurer for almost 30 years, and often hand-typed financial reports.

She loved movies and British dramas on PBS–particularly Downton Abbey.  Pat often attended the Heartland Film Festival held in Indianapolis every year.  Annually, she tried to see as many movies as she could in a week during the festival.  She was a volunteer and helped with the formal Heartland Gala one year.

Pat was always up for an adventure and loved to travel.  She belonged to Ambassadair Travel Club for many years and travelled on great trips around the country and Canada.  She even went on a few “mystery trips” where you didn’t know where you were going until you got on the plane!

Previously, Pat and Ken travelled to many states, and many countries in Europe, including France, Spain, Austria, Ireland, and England.  Other beautiful destinations included South America (Venezuela), Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean: Martinique, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Santo Domingo.

Patricia visited New York City and New Jersey a few times and loved it!  She went to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Broadway Shows, Little Italy and The World Trade Center. She loved trying different types of foods.  Her favorite was probably Italian.  She enjoyed learning about different people and cultures.

Patricia worked on crossword puzzles daily for years.  She loved playing word games like Scrabble, Upwards and Boggle, and was a savvy competitor.

Pat thoroughly enjoyed the Indianapolis Symphony and had season tickets for years.  Her favorites were the “Pops”.  She was a member of the Southside Women’s Symphony Group.

She assisted her husband with business accounting, visited him daily for a month when he was in St. Vincent Hospital, assisted with his medical records, and was a dedicated caregiver for him at home.

Pat enjoyed gardening, and working in her yard, and appreciated having pets–dogs and cats– around. She was a fan of the Home-a-Rama shows in Indianapolis. For many years, she and neighbors attended the Decorators Showhouse in the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood in Indianapolis. She enjoyed feeding birds and having them visit her feeders.  Her favorites were cardinals, hummingbirds, and especially bluebirds.

Patricia’s hobbies included cooking, at which she excelled.  She was an avid photographer and owned many cameras over the years.  There were multiple times when Pat took an entire roll of film each week.  She also took hundreds of color slide photos over the decades.

She loved to shop and in her younger days would fill the house with Christmas presents.

Patricia led a support group for the families/friends of those who died by suicide, helping many deal with their grief and sorrow.

She took many classes for older adults through OASIS, a national education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of folks aged 50 and older. She took continuing education classes at the University of Indianapolis for several years.

Pat did her own taxes most of her life–even when they became more complex.

A lover of nature and environmental protection, she supported the Sierra Club, The Audubon Society, and the World Wildlife Fund, and was thrilled to visit and support our National Parks.  As a Cub Scout Den Mother, she helped to take scouts on train trips to Culver Academies and the Louisville riverboat.  At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, the scouts posed for photos with Jayne Mansfield!

Patricia enjoyed picnics and gatherings.  She attended the musical and sports performances of her children and assisted with transportation.

Her upbringing was challenging, but she thrived with marriage to Ken.

She is the longest-living member of the Glass family to date.

In her later years, she was an unapologetic brunch aficionado and late riser, after decades of very early mornings with family.

Pat “wanted to live forever”.  Now, she does so in the cherished memories of her family members and friends.

Patricia is survived by her loving children; Gary (Joyce) Davis, Casey (Beth) Davis, Melinda (Kevin) Secord, and Kim (Joe) Wicker, grandchildren; Ethan Davis, Andrew (Kelly) Davis, Julie (Derek) Wolfe, Sofia (Romain) Jamois Secord, and Alec Secord, great-grandchildren; Will, Claire, Ella, Ike, and Oliver, along with her siblings; Richard Glass, Thomas Glass, and Margaret Crisp.

Patricia is preceded in death by her husband; Kenneth C. Davis, brother; Daniel Glass and sister; Jeannie Lafferty.

Private family visitation will be held at O’Riley Branson Funeral Service & Crematory on Friday, July 25, 2025. Private family burial will take place at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens in Greenwood.

A Celebration of Life is being planned, with the date to be announced soon on this website.

The family wishes to thank the Anew Hospice Program and the people at Bickford Assisted Living and Community-South Hospital for aiding Patricia in her times of need.

Please visit www.orileybranson.com to leave a memory of Patricia or to sign the online guest book.