Patricia Fannon Whitaker of Sanibel Island, FL passed away October 25, 2022, after a brief illness. She was 90-years old. Patsy was born July 5, 1932, to Rose Adikes and James E. McInerney in Brooklyn, NY. She loved that she was an Army brat growing up in many places, including Washington, DC; Maryland; Ohio; and Germany, where she attended “Heidelberg High.”
Patsy was very proud that her father and four brothers were graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She graduated from Rosemont College in 1954 and married William F. Fannon, Jr., in 1957 in Garden City, NY, where her parents settled and Bill grew up. Patsy and Bill raised three children in Packanack Lake and later Upper Montclair, NJ. They had a home in Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island, NJ. Patsy avidly supported the arts, including the Newark Symphony; the Whole Theater Company in Montclair, NJ; and numerous theater companies on and off Broadway, where she saw many performances as evidenced by the volumes of Playbills she collected.
In 1990, Patsy and Bill moved to Sanibel Island, and in 1993, Bill passed away after more than 35 years of marriage. Patsy met Hubert H. Whitaker, the second love of her life, and they were married in 1994. Patsy and Hubie spent the next 28 years traveling, playing what she joyfully called “Patsy Golf,” attending theatrical performances, and socializing with their many friends, especially at their Sunday evening get-togethers with neighbors on Mockingbird Drive. Patsy never met a stranger and is remembered for her commitment to family, her positive spirit, her kindness to all, and her enduring devotion to her faith.
In addition to her parents and first husband, Bill Fannon, Patsy was predeceased by her brothers, James, John, and Richard McInerney, and her granddaughter Patricia Rose Birk. She is survived by her husband, Hubie Whitaker; children Cecilia Fannon Birk (Ed) of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; Matthew Fannon (Elaine) of Bluffton, SC; David Fannon (Diane) of New Canaan, CT; and Mary Grace Whitaker of Sanibel Island. Her grandchildren include Jane Fannon Birk; William Francis Fannon, III; Jack Timmins Fannon; Mia Patricia Fannon; and Whitaker Avedikian. Her great grandchildren are Nishan and Liam King. Patsy is also survived by her brother Thomas G. McInerney, Lieutenant General, U.S.A.F Retired as well as many nieces and nephews who along with her immediate family loved her very much.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date at St. Isabel’s Catholic Church on Sanibel Island, where her cremated remains will be interred. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the McGraw Hospice Center in Jacksonville, FL.
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