Patricia Whitcomb, ex-wife of former Indiana governor, dies at age 91
SEYMOUR, Ind. (WISH) – Patricia “Pat” Whitcomb, the wife of former Indiana Gov. Edgar Whitcomb, died Sunday at age 91, according to an announcement Wednesday from a public relations firm.
The former Republican governor, who was in office from 1969 to 1973, died in 2016 in Rome, Indiana, at age 98.
“Pat” met “Ed” while she was a model in the Tea Room of L.S. Ayres, where she served on the downtown department store’s Fashion Board after her graduation from college, said the announcement from Kate Shepherd Communications. The St. Louis native was a graduate of Greenfield (Indiana) High School and Ward Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee.
The couple divorced in 1986 after a 33-year marriage.
She is survived by five children, and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending with the Winklepeck & Brock Funeral Home in Brownstown.
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb on Wednesday directed flags in Indiana to be flown at half-staff in honor and remembrance for Pat Whitcomb through sunset July 12.
A statement from the governor said, “Pat Whitcomb served Hoosiers during her time as First Lady with honor and grace. She loved to travel and made it a point to visit all 92 counties in Indiana, twice. I loved that she learned how to greet people in many different languages so she could communicate with the world as she loved meeting new people from all corners always defining our signature Hoosier Hospitality. Janet and I extend our condolences to the Whitcomb family.”