Jennifer Kay Pate

Jennifer Kay Pate, 71, passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with cancer on Thursday, June 18, 2026, surrounded by her family. Jenny was born on July 18, 1954 in Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of John and Barbara (Lawrence) Lind.

She graduated from Wichita South High School in 1972 and attended Wichita State University. She later worked as a secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. She also worked as an elementary school para at the Maize School District and later on as a bank card representative at Intrust.

Craig and Jenny met when they were 18 years old. When he asked her for her phone number, she said “It’s in the book.” She knew he would call and he did. Another year later, he took her to Sonic Drive-In and proposed. They were married in 1974. Jenny’s primary focus in life was her family. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her British mother unexpectedly became a widow when Jenny was just nine years old. Out of her own grief, Jenny became determined to always go out of her way to be there for her widowed mother. Each Saturday, until her mother’s passing in 2008, they would go shopping and play board games at the house. They were inseparable.

Family and friends would look to Jenny for her common-sense advice. This advice became extremely helpful to Craig as he started and began building his residential construction business in Wichita. Jenny would become the linchpin of what became a very successful business – helping keep things on an even keel and always having a flair for decorating, designing and staging the homes he was building. Craig said that Jenny made him a better person.

Jenny was a strong Christian. Her hard-fought battle with cancer brought her closer to the Lord and she spent a lot of time reading her Bible and devotionals.

She is preceded in death by her parents, John and Barbara Lind; and her sister, Susan Lind.

She is survived by her devoted husband of 51 years, Craig; her children, Chris (Leslie) Pate, Laura (John) Byerley; 3 grandchildren, Aubrey Pate (AJ Furnish), Riley Pate and Mia Byerley, and one great-grandchild Aisley Furnish. She is also survived by her siblings, Tom (Judy) Lind and Richard Lind, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

Visitation will be held at Resthaven Mortuary, 11800 West Highway 54, Wichita, KS 67209, US, on June 24, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

A Funeral Service will take place at Resthaven Mortuary, 11800 West Highway 54, Wichita, KS 67209, US, on June 25, 2026, at 1:00 pm.

A Committal Service will be held at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11800 West Highway 54, Wichita, KS 67209, US, on June 25, 2026.