Mary Patricia Spence

Mary Patricia Spence died peacefully, Saturday, September 18th, in Clayton, Missouri with her son Spence, her twin sister Anne and her nephew Robert Carlson at her side. Mary Patricia and her twin sister Katharine Anne were born May 3, 1943, in Forth Worth, Texas. When her father, Lt. Col. Robert William Spence, returned from World War II, the family moved to Austin, Texas. Pat graduated from Austin High School and the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She was selected as Best Pledge in her pledge class and served as State Rush Captain. She was a “Little Sister” of Kappa Alpha and Phi Delta Theta and was a member of Angel Flight. Pat was a Duchess of the first Austin Aqua Festival in 1963. She was presented as a debutant by both the Junior Helping Hand Home for Children and The Bachelors of Austin in 1963. She married Timothy Michael Coffey and they had one son, William Spence Coffey. Pat spent a lifetime in volunteer work and was active in civic endeavors and was nicknamed by the St. Louis Post Dispatch as “the blond blizzard from Texas.” As a member of the Junior League of St. Louis, she served as chairman of The Junior League Tea Room, the Treasure Trunk Auction & Style Show and the Regional Opening of the St. Louis Centre. Pat served as a board member of several charitable organizations and chaired numerous events for the American Cancer Society, Health Care for the Homeless Coalition, Judevine Center for Autistic Children, St. Louis University and St. Louis hospitals. The events she chaired raised more than $33, 000, 000, for charity. Pat was recognized as Woman of the Year by the Variety Club of St. Louis in 1980, Woman of Achievement for Community Betterment by the St. Louis Globe-Democrat Newspaper in 1981, Outstanding Individual Volunteer by the State of Missouri in 1984, Volunteer of the Year by the American Cancer Society in 1988, and received both Emmy and Ace Awards from the St. Louis Comic Relief Telethon in 1988. Pat was married to Dr. John Graham Steuterman in St. Louis. Dr. Steuterman died in 1996. Pat is survived by her son, William Spence Coffey, her twin sister, Anne Spence Carlson and her mother, Mrs. Robert William Spence. She was preceded in death by her father Robert William Spence and her second husband Dr. John Graham Steuterman. Funeral services will be held at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, Texas on Thursday, September 23rd, at 10:00 am. Interment will be in the Woldert-Spence family plot at Oakwood Cemetery in Tyler, Texas, on Friday, September 24th. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to favorite charities or to The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, Texas. Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78705 – (512) 452-8811. You may view memorials online at wcfish.com