88, of Zionsville passed away due to complications of breast cancer on January 2, 2020 while receiving hospice care at St. Vincent Hospital. Born June 5, 1931 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Pat was the eldest of three children of James C. Gray and Edna B. Gray. The family moved to Birmingham, Alabama where she attended public school and was active in student government. She attended Northwestern University for two years and then completed her studies at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, graduating in 1953 with a degree in English. She was an active member of the sorority Alpha Delta Pi and became a lifelong fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.
After college she taught high school music in Birmingham for one year. She then moved to Evanston, Illinois and worked for the American Hospital Association in Chicago. On November 3, 1956 she married Jack E. Slichenmyer, MD. They moved to Indianapolis soon thereafter and raised three children. Pat and Jack moved from Indianapolis to Zionsville in 1984.
As an active member of Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis for over fifty years, Pat participated in a variety of groups, including Presbyterian Women, who conferred an Honorary Life Membership on her in 1983. Pat worked on the Annual Fall Bazaar, a major PW fundraiser, for more than forty years, and especially worked with the “Antiques and Collectibles” volunteers, sorting and preparing items throughout the year, and working at the event each November. Additionally, Pat served as a Deacon and as an Elder, participated in Sages, Bible study groups and was a dedicated member of the Rehm Guild. She very much enjoyed ringing handbells in the Bell Choir, which she did for many years, retiring from that activity last spring.
Pat had a lifelong interest in music and the arts. In the 1960s and ‘70s she performed as a cellist in the Athenaeum Turners Orchestra. She regularly played piano and cello in a string quartet with friends. She was a patron of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Early Music Festival and the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. In addition, she worked for many years as a volunteer at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. She enjoyed learning about history and preservation and made friends with similar interests as a member of Questers.
Pat enjoyed traveling with her family. Over the years she visited six continents and all fifty states in the U.S. She and Jack traveled to Toulouse, France and then had several visits to the city of Trois- Rivières in Quebec Province to attend French language classes.
Pat pursued several hobbies. She and Jack played bridge regularly for decades. Pat participated in several bridge groups and in recent years organized a group that plays at 2nd Presbyterian Church. She was an avid reader and enjoyed book discussion groups. She learned to knit when she was growing up and continued to make sweaters, scarves and hats for many loved ones throughout her life. She liked puzzles – crossword, sudoku, jigsaw and the weekly bridge quiz in the paper.
She is survived by her three children, William (Jeanette), Nancy (George Weissler) and Philip (Valerie Camp) and three grandchildren, Danielle Slichenmyer, Kurt Slichenmyer and Joseph Weissler.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 11 at Second Presbyterian Church. A reception will begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by services at 11:00 a.m. In remembrance of Pat, donations may be directed to Second Presbyterian Church or other preferred organization.
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