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Phyllis Ann Shaw Padgett, 73, was the fourth of five children born to Olive Ruth and Joe Shaw. A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, IN she was a proud Hoosier mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She retired as the church secretary of Arlington Heights Baptist Church in September of 2005 where she had worked for almost 5 years having started in January 2001. Prior to that, she had also worked as a unit secretary at Indiana University Hospital for 3 years and as a special education bus driver for MSD Warren Township for 18 years, retiring in 1986.

Phyllis led an active life and could always be found cheering on her grandchildren at numerous sporting and other school events. She was a communion minister for Holy Spirit Catholic Church and a member of the Faith Formation Committee at Holy Spirit. She also was a communion minister for Community East Hospital until earlier this year.

Phyllis loved music with a passion, and was an accomplished musician in her younger days. As a student in middle school, the music teacher at Washington High School would invite Phyllis to perform with the high school band and orchestras when she needed an extra saxophonist or clarinetist. In high school at Washington, she was honored with a letter all four years where she was First Chair Clarinet and First Chair Violin in the orchestra.

She then went on to study at Indiana Central University where she was an Elementary Education student with an eye towards teaching, but her studies were cut short before she left class to work to support her family. Her dedication to her family is what defined her life and she was a devoted wife to Thomas Gilbert Padgett for almost 30 years from July 1954 until Tom’s sudden death May 12, 1984 from a heart attack.

Her brothers Joe, Art, and Dave Shaw; her sons Tom, Kevin, Mike, and Joh Padgett and her daughter Lydia Ragsdale, 13 grand- and 5 great-grandchildren survive her. Her arrangements are being handled by Feeney-Hornak Shadeland Mortuary (map), and she will be entombed in a mausoleum at Washington Park East Cemetery (map) next to her husband Tom.

Please leave your messages in the comments section of this thread, or you can also leave a voice message for us at my home number at (317) 353-2550. Floral arrangements can be delivered to Feeney-Hornak Shadeland Mortuary (see link above). Details of her arrangements will be posted later today.