Patricia J. Pate

Patricia J. Pate MARION-Patricia J. Pate, 81, of Marion passed away at 9:41 PM, Friday, April 20, 2007 at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at Blue Funeral Home in Marion with Reverend Victor Long officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, Monday, April 23, 2007 at the funeral home. Burial will be at Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion. Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church; envelopes are available at the funeral home or may be sent c/o Blue Funeral Home, PO Box 411, Marion, IL 62959. Mrs. Pate was born September 12, 1925 in Marion, Illinois to Lee R. and Clara (Thompson) Hudgens. She married Kenneth Pate on March 16, 1946 in Henderson, Kentucky; together they shared 61 years of marriage. Survivors include her husband, Kenneth of Marion; daughters and sons-in-law, Leanne Pate of Marion, Patti and Greg Tarrant of Lake of Egypt and Lauralyn and Jeff Cima of Marion; grandchildren, Derek and Devyn Cima and Alyssa Tarrant; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Paul and Marvelene Pate and Dale and Marion Pate; sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, Evelyn and J. B. Kuykendall and Laverne Hudgens; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Dr. Bob Hudgens and Bill Hudgens; and sisters, Beatrice Jolly and Leora Chapman. Mrs. Pate was a lifetime member of the First United Methodist Church in Marion. She and Herman Graves started the “Gifted Program” at the Marion Junior High. She was past president of the United Methodist Women, member of the Mary Martha Circle, past president of the Shagbark Council of the Girl Scouts, a Girl Scout Troop Leader, and a longtime cook for the Marion Rotary Club. She was a homemaker and she loved to dance.