Jean Wilkinson Fay's Obituary
Jean Wilkinson Fay, 96, of Memphis, Tennessee, went to be with the Lord on February 28, 2024 surrounded by her family. Jean will be remembered and forever beloved for her loving, gentle spirit and for her legacy of kindness and faith in Jesus Christ.
Jean was born in Patterson, Missouri on November 16, 1927, to Fred and Samantha Wilkinson. She was the youngest of three daughters. Jean attended Southeast Missouri State University and Tarkio College in Tarkio, Missouri, and graduated with a degree in education. It was in Tarkio that she met the love of her life, Frank Curtis Fay.
Jean is predeceased by her husband Frank Curtis Fay. She was a loving wife throughout their 63-year marriage. With her characteristic gentleness, Jean raised her three children and five grandchildren to love the Lord and love others. Her grandchildren called her “Dani”. She also answered to “Grand-Dani” when playing make-believe and cuddling with her great-grandchildren.
Jean is survived by her children Suzanne Hosford (Marty) of Collierville, TN, Mike Fay (Cathy) of Germantown, TN and Sarabeth Mayo (Buddy) of Knoxville, TN. She is also survived by her grandchildren Samantha Stockett (Burke), Holly Reddy (Pavan), Morgan Wilson (John), Curtis Fay (Madison), and Will Mayo (Kelsey). Jean was also blessed to know her seven great-grandchildren.
Jean was a beloved middle school teacher at Holy Rosary Catholic School in Memphis for 30 years. Throughout her career, she touched the lives of her students and others in the school community with her kindness and love for learning. She would often be stopped in her later years by former students calling “Mrs. Fay!” and hastening to tell her how much she meant to them. She was an active community volunteer throughout her life. Jean was also an avid Bridge player. She learned the card game in college and went on to play in regular weekly games until the last year of her life. Jean loved vacationing at the beach and spending time on the lake at Fairfield Bay in Arkansas.
All her life, Jean was active in her church community and in Bible studies at Asbury United Methodist Church in Memphis and more recently at Maples Memorial United Methodist Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Jean’s faith shown through in her loving spirit and gentle leadership of her family.
The family wishes to express gratitude to the caring, compassionate staff at Heritage at Irene Woods Senior Living, Jean’s home for the past five years. There are no words to describe the exceptional care they provided Jean during her final days.
A service celebrating Jean’s life will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 3 at Memorial Park Funeral Home, Memphis. There will be a visitation from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday prior to the service. The burial will follow on a later date at West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Togetherministrycenter.org or Dreamfactorymemphis.org.
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