Mrs. Gay Patterson, age 86 of Walnut, Mississippi, formerly of Bolivar, passed away Thursday morning, March 15, 2018 at her daughter's home.
A native of the Middleton, Tennessee area, she was born Sunday, January 3, 1932 to the late Hugh Ford and Dollie Wilbanks Crum. On Monday, September 12, 1949, she was united in marriage to Mr. Omer Patterson, who preceded her in death January 28, 2013. She worked as a homemaker and a seamstress for the public, and was a technician at Western Mental Health Institute for ten years.
She enjoyed sewing and working in her flower garden, and she was famous for her fried apple pies and sour cream coconut cakes. Singing with her family and in church was one of her favorite pastimes, and she loved her kids. She was a member of Grace Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Middleton and a former member of Vildo Pentecostal Church in Bolivar.
Survivors include her daughters, Linda Kay Thornton (Rev. James W.) of Walnut, Mississippi, and Sheila Holloway of Bolivar; sons, Jimmy Dale Patterson (Shirley) of Middleton and Omer Lee Patterson of Bolivar; sisters, Marie Robertson of Middleton, Dorothy Moore of New Albany, MS, and Janice Smith of Corinth, MS; two brothers, Jimmy Crum of Brighton, and David Crum of Tuscaloosa, AL; grandchildren, Jimmy LeWayne Patterson of Corinth, Steven Eugene Patterson of Silsbee, TX, Jennifer Kay Thornton, Jessica Witt Bateman, and Crystal Gail Mercer, all of Walnut, MS, Denny Michelle Dickerson of Faulkner, MS and Jeremy DeWayne McCaskill of Bolivar; thirty great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Omer Dean Patterson; and two brothers, Rev. U. H. Crum, and J. C. Crum.
Charitable contributions made in Mrs. Patterson's memory may be sent to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org/donate), or to the Grace Apostolic Pentecostal Church Building Fund, 90 Cartwright Road, Pocahontas, TN 38061.