Jean Defabis

Jean Marie DeFabis, age 81, of Carmel passed away at home surround by family June 29, 2014. Jean was born March 1st, 1933 in Port Chester, NY to the late Herman and Anne Meyer. She is survived by her high school sweetheart, husband Mike DeFabis of 62 years, sister Cecelia Stack, children Mark (Joan) DeFabis, Chris (Jim) Gish, Monica (Lee) Schierbaum, and Julie (Brian) Husselman. Jean is also survived by her grandchildren: Maggie (Rich) McCracken, Michael (Amber) DeFabis, Laura (Aaron) Schnur, Nick (Abbey) Morton, Amy Lewis, Sophie (Ryan) Plappert, Grant Husselman, and Cody Schierbaum. Great Grandchildren: Fiona, Elsie, Amelia, J.J., Noah, and dozens of nieces and nephews. Jean and Mike are members of St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church. They met while attending Arsenal Technical High School in which they both graduated in 1950. She loved to volunteer with numerous charities and organizations. In the 80's she became a ski instructor at Beaver Creek, Colorado and continued to be one of the most requested teachers over the years and even gained certification from the Professional Ski Instructors of America in her late sixties. She was a Past Chair of The Indianapolis Symphony Auxiliary and was very active in WINS. Jean loved volunteering for the Heartland Film Festival, and was a big part of coordinating the 1987 Pan Am Games. She volunteered her time with Local, State, and National Republican campaigns over the years. She also served on various volunteer committees at the American Cancer Society where she helped to raise money for the fight against cancer. Jean was very active in life, if it was anything to do outside you could bet she was there, which included biking, hiking, camping, fishing, and her flower garden at home. She also loved to cook and entertain and many of her recipes appeared in the Indianapolis Star over the years. Services will be Wednesday July 2, 2014 at 11:30am located at St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church (1870 W Oak – Zionsville) with calling from 9:00am with Entombment to follow at Washington Park North Cemetery. Memorial Contributions in Jean's Honor may be made to the American Cancer Society or St. Augustine's Little Sister's of the Poor You are invited to go to the Guest Book page to pass along your personal message or tell a story. Sincerely, -Your friends at Flanner and Buchanan