Jean Marie (Stebbins) Quay
May 8,1931 — January 16, 2026
Jean was born in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and grew up in Galion, Ohio. After graduating from Galion High School in 1949, Jean attended the Mansfield School of Nursing, and in 1952 became a Licensed Practical Nurse. Jean worked as a nurse and church organist for several years to pay for her continued education in nursing. A life-long Buckeye, Jean was proud of fact that in 1957 she earned her bachelor’s degree as a Registered Nurse from The Ohio State University.
Jean and her husband, Dr. John F. Quay, both attended Galion High School and OSU. They were married on June 12, 1957, at Grace Episcopal Church in Galion, Ohio. After John obtained a master’s degree from OSU, Jean and John moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where Jean began working as a community nurse and John began his career as a microbiologist with Eli Lilly & Company.
In 1962 Jean took a hiatus from nursing to devote herself to raising their three children. In 1978 Jean returned to work part-time as an intensive care nurse at Methodist Hospital until she retired in 1991.
Although Jean’s focus was always her family, she had a lifelong passion for art and music. Jean was an accomplished and prolific artist, and her oil paintings are prominently displayed throughout the homes of her family and friends. As a pianist and organist, Jean could play any song she had ever heard, in any key, without music. From 1969 until her death, Jean was a dedicated member of the Church of Nativity, in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she sang in the vocal choir, played handbells in the handbell choir, and occasionally played the pipe organ. Jean also sang with the Indianapolis Community Choir and performed in musicals at the Mud Creek Theater.
After John’s death in 1991, Jean continued living independently in the family home for almost 30 years, where she nurtured a variety of wild animals, including deer, hawks, raccoons, vultures, squirrels, cats, and songbirds. In her later years, Jean became an enthusiastic fan of the Indiana Fever and Dancing with the Stars. Most importantly, Jean was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, whose warmth and generosity left a lasting impression on all who knew her.
Jean is survived by two daughters, Nana Quay-Smith (Oliver Smith) and Katy Quay (Jane Glidewell) of Fishers, Indiana; son, Paul Quay (Laurie) of Carmel, Indiana; eight grandchildren, Nathaniel Smith (Casie), John Quay (Dempsey), Karen Wolf (Quinn), Matthew Smith, Kevin Quay, Carlos Quay, Roberto Quay, and Wesley Quay; her beloved step-grandchild, Christina Shaul (Ande) and their daughter, Izabella, and her great-grandchild, Russell Quay. Two more great-grandchildren are expected in February 2026.
Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. John Quay; parents, Edythe Lillian (Brocklesby) Craun and Harold Kermit Stebbins; sister, Joyce Kreps; great-grandchild, Michael Quay; stepfather, Franklin Craun, and stepsisters, Janet Baehr and Jane Ann Flory.
Jean’s funeral service will be held at 4:00 pm Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the Church of the Nativity, 7300 Lantern Road, Indianapolis, Indiana. The service may be viewed at facebook.com/NativityIndy. A private interment will be held at a later date in Iberia, Ohio. Memorial contributions may be made to the Church of the Nativity.
Funeral Home: Cremation Society of Indiana