Fayne P. Wakeman

Stone Mountain, Georgia- Fayne P. Wakeman passed away peacefully on January 8, 2025, at the age of 96.

She was born in Albany, New York to Robert G. Powers and Josephine Austin Powers, and was married for 56 years to William C. Wakeman, who passed away in 2007. Her mother was a distant descendant of Matthew Thornton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Fayne lived much of her life in Albany and Schenectady New York and graduated from Albany’s Academy of the Holy Names and the College of St. Rose with an B.S. in Merchandising and Commerce. After graduation, she worked for the Ford Motor Company until she married Bill in 1951. After raising their family in Niskayuna NY, she and Bill moved to Stone Mountain Georgia in 1982.

Fayne was a loving mother and she was a woman of deep and abiding Catholic faith. She loved to sing, had a song in her heart, and had memorized many popular songs of the 30’s and 40’s. She had great humor and wit and she was a wonderful storyteller, especially about her Dad’s large Irish family. She loved to read and had a treasured library of thousands of books.

Fayne devoted much of her life to advocating for better education programs for disabled children. Her youngest daughter Claire was born severely disabled in 1962, a time when there were no programs for disabled children other than in large hospitals. She and Bill resolved to care for Claire in the home which they continued to do for Claire’s entire life. Fayne’s effective advocacy for the disabled reached the highest officials in New York and Georgia, and it continued from the 1970’s to 2015. Fayne also volunteered at St Clare’s Hospital and with reading instruction at St. Helen’s kindergarten. She was an active member of the Yellow Daisy Quilt Guild in Stone Mountain.

Fayne is survived by six of her seven children- William C. Wakeman of Roswell Ga., Robert G. Wakeman (Jayne) of Slingerlands NY, Fayne M. Wakeman of Atlanta Ga., Nancy M. Keegan (Joseph) of Baton Rouge La., James J. Wakeman (Gina) of Decatur Ga., and Thomas G. Wakeman (Karen) of Kingston NY. Her beloved daughter Claire died in 2015. Fayne is also survived by her twelve grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, her brother James A. Powers (Kathleen) of Buffalo NY and by many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her beloved siblings Robert G. Powers and Gail Brady. The family would especially like to thank Fayne’s caregiver Carla Smith for her many years of devoted care and friendship, and also the staff at Pruitt Rehabilitation in Brookhaven Ga.

A Wake will be held at Wages & Sons Funeral Home Stone Mountain Chapel 1040 Main Street, Stone Mountain Ga. (770 469-9811) from 6-8pm (Rosary at 7pm) on Wednesday January 15, 2025. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church 600 Mountain View Drive, Stone Mountain Ga. at 11am on January 16, 2025. Burial will follow at Melwood Cemetary, Stone Mountain Ga.