Patricia Irene Williams

Patricia Irene Tonkinson Williams was born to Ira Tonkinson, Nettie James Tonkinson, and her sister Lorraine Tonkinson Cox on March 12, 1934 at home in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Her life ended on June 13, 2023 at the age of 89 years.

She married Walter Edward Williams on May 20, 1950 at the age of 16. She and Walter embarked on an adventure of a lifetime with many experiences, both good and bad. They moved 32 times due to job improvement or better housing opportunities. They finally were able to build the home of their dreams in 1981 in rural Anadarko. She set up housekeeping in Coldwater, Kansas and the Oklahoma towns of Wewoka, Eufaula, Sallisaw, Skiatook, and back to Anadarko.

Her work life included being a church secretary in Sallisaw, Manager of the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce, Manager of Carriage Fashions here in Anadarko, sales at Jarvis Furniture, co-owner of the Linen Chest, an upper end bed and bath shop, and co-owner of the Plant Hollar, a nursery and landscape business here as well. She was a member of the Oklahoma Nurseryman Association. She had been a travel escort and guide for two businesses, Keepsake Tours and Territorial Tours Ltd., with a specialty in Oklahoma history. There are many books on the shelf pertaining to Oklahoma history because she always wanted to have the “good stories” lined up and accurate. She volunteered from time to time at the local Anadarko Philomathic Museum, enjoyed being a flower judge at the local Free Fair, was on the vocational-technical school advisory board, and presented many programs locally on gardening and travel.

She sang in church choirs and community choirs for 60 years in multiple locations. She organized and directed children’s choirs in Skiatook, Eufaula, Sallisaw and Anadarko and took several of them to State Methodist Clinics at Oklahoma City University. How many children’s lives did she touch? She enjoyed being a Sunday school teacher and she and Walter were youth sponsors in Wewoka and Anadarko. She had received a lifetime pin for activities in UMW, United Methodist Women. At one point she was a trustee for the Verden United Methodist Church. She enjoyed playing the hand chimes as well.

Pat has been a member of International P.E.O. since 1968. This women’s organization is a philanthropic education organization whose sole purpose is to uplift and education women around the globe. She served in several officer positions but her particular passion was chairing the Continuing Education Committee. This meant that her chapter, here in Anadarko, always had at least one woman they were sponsoring. It was often a student at the vocational-technical school who might be going back to school so she could make a living for her children. It didn’t matter the type of coursework, just that this person needed help and this chapter could assist. Between 1990 and 2011, she documented 66 women who had received some type of assistance from P.E.O. The list reads things like tires or car repair so a student could get to their classes. Among other items there was uniform shoes, books, gas cards, a baby bed, money for formula, car insurance, utility bills, baskets of goodies at Christmas or Easter for a student’s children, etc. What an impact! She represented Oklahoma at 3 international conventions. She had been celebrated as one of P.E.O.’s Golden Girls, which meant she had been a member for 50 years.

While the girls were growing up, she served as a counselor or group leader at the Girl Scout Camp in Muskogee, Campfire Girls Camp at Red Rock Canyon in Hinton, and supervised multiple day camps.

In her later years, she was a volunteer at Eastgrade Elementary to encourage 2nd grade students to improve their reading. She would always give them a stick of gum when they were done. It was well known among the students so they always wanted to read for Miss Pat! We’re sure the teachers loved the gum.

When most people are retired, Pat got busier. In April 2018 the church began a ministry to feed those who needed a meal and Pat was there from the beginning. There are many amusing stories among the workers themselves. It was a trial and error situation at first until they learned what worked best and what did not. Each person has a specific role and Pat was the coffee/hot chocolate lady at the window where the items were given to their customers. This act of service has to rate at the top of Pat’s priorities because we couldn’t plan anything with her if it interfered with Monday Meals. She would often work even when she didn’t feel well and had someone drive her there and back even after her driving days were over. She often remarked about the need in the community that she had been totally unaware of and grew to appreciate those she came to know and would see around town during the week.

Her daughters are Debbie Williams Riddle (with favorite son-in-law Jim) and Diane Williams Gantt. Pat had 3 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, 1 great great-grandchild along with a legacy of love.

Should there be interest in an honorarium, her favorite group was Monday Meals, First United Methodist Church, 202 W. Oklahoma, Anadarko, Ok. 73005