Rae Ann Fichtner

On July 15, 2020, Rae Ann Fichtner, loving wife to Jay Sheldon Fichtner, and mother to Mark S. Fichtner and Kirk D. Fichtner, passed away at the age of 90. Rae Ann was born in 1930 in San Antonio, Texas. She received her B.A. degree from Texas Woman’s University in 1950 and her Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University in 1951. She and Jay were married in 1952 in Washington, D.C. They initially moved to Naples, Italy, as part of Jay's Navy service, and then later settled in Dallas, Texas. Rae practiced law in Dallas for nearly 15 years. In 1972 she received her Master at Laws degree from Southern Methodist University. She was a member of the District of Columbia, Texas, and Federal bars. She moved from private practice to focus on juvenile justice and law enforcement, becoming an assistant city attorney for the city of Dallas with the Dallas Police Department as a member of the department’s Legal Liaison Division, the first woman to hold such. After a similar legal advisory position with the city of Carrollton, and with her doctorate, Rae joined the faculty of the Law Enforcement Management Institute and Texas Woman’s University. During her career, she also taught and lectured at the Dallas Police Academy, the Texas Sherriff’s Academy, the FBI Academy, and the Strathclyde (Scotland) Police Department. Past honors include the Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas Woman’s University, and the Extra Mile Award from the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Dallas. Besides her career, Rae was always interested in advancing rights for women. She enjoyed the opera, the symphony, and entertaining (she could always tell a good story). Rae was preceded in death by her husband Jay just the day before, and is survived by her sons Mark and Kirk, her sister La Jean, her grandsons Bryan and Alex, and her great-grandson Phillip. A graveside service will be held at Sparkman/Hillcrest Cemetery on Monday, July 20, at 9:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, please make a tribute donation on her behalf to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org).