Patricia Joan Davis

Pat, as she was known by family and friends, was born on September 27, 1927, at her family home in Toledo, Ohio. While her father worked as a certified public accountant for the American Ship Building Company all of his adult life, her grandparents resided in rural Ohio on a farm. Pat spoke fondly of her childhood visits with her grandparents and cousin, Jackie. As kids, they would run, play, and eat vegetables picked fresh from the garden. She lived in the same family home as a teenager and graduated from Waite High School before attending Wright State University for two years. After leaving college, Pat dabbled in modeling in New York City, and worked in a doctor’s office in Toledo, but eventually became restless.

It was this restless spirit that led Pat to drive across the country with her friend Sue. She used to share stories about this road trip of a lifetime, retelling the time she and Sue bought bags of ice to lay on the hood of their convertible to cool the engine while driving through the Mojave Desert. They stayed together in La Jolla, California until Sue wanted to return home to Toledo. Pat obliged, but not for long. She returned to La Jolla a year later and lived in an apartment one block from the beach. Pat loved the beach and could be found near the water whenever she had free time.

While living in California, Pat worked for two different physician practices as a medical technician. It was in La Jolla where Pat met and married her second husband, the father of two of her children. Together they moved to Colorado where the couple adopted a daughter, Amy, and a son, Andy. They lived as a family in Colorado, Missouri, and Kansas, and finally landed in Richardson, Texas, a place she called home for 41 years.

Pat often said there are three things that brought her the most joy in life: her job for the Richardson School District, her four “kids“(Amy, Andy, and their spouses, Richard and Tiffany), and her two grandsons, Finley and Grayson. She dedicated her time to her children while they were growing up, then returned to the workforce as an administrative assistant in the front office at Parkhill Junior High, where Amy and Andy attended school just a couple of years prior. She remained at Parkhill for 29 years when she retired at the age of 85.

Pat was known by her colleagues to be (very) direct and quite a character. She had a wry wit and a playful spirit. During her tenure at Parkhill, Pat created and nurtured an enduring friendship network that meant so much to her. Her friends became her extended family and she was grateful for lunches with girls.

Throughout her lifetime, Pat enjoyed reading, going to movies (she loved foreign films), sunning at the beach, going to art museums, and shopping for clothes. She had a special place in her heart for animals and it was not unusual for her to come home with an injured bird or cat, which she somehow instinctively knew how to nurse back to health. She loved decorating her homes and entertaining family and friends for dinner. As no surprise to anyone, her will and tenacity helped her remain independent and she lived on her own until her death.

Pat was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Hazel (Johnson) Davis; her brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Marietta (Sauter) Davis; her niece Gwendolyn (Davis) Fayne; and her son Mark William Neely. She is survived by her children and grandchildren: her daughter and son-in-law Amy and Richard Matthew Stewart, her son and daughter-in-law Andy and Tiffany (Strong) Davis, and her grandsons Finley and Grayson Davis.

Pat’s family would like to extend a special thank you to the medical professionals and staff and Medical City Plano for the excellent care they provided. In lieu of flowers, Pat would like you to consider donating to her favorite charities: The Leukemia Foundation, The Arthritis Foundation, and the SPCA.

A memorial service is pending. To leave an online condolence to the family and read updates on service plans, please visit our website at www.teddickeywestfuneral.com