Mary Grace Patterson's Obituary
Mary Grace Patterson was born to Mabel Patterson and George Alexander on July 22, 1945 at Flint Goodridge Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. She entered into eternal rest on September 10, 2016 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home in Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised by her mother in Plattenville, Louisiana in a "village" which included her 2 uncles, James Patterson and Charles Patterson, and a host of relatives. She began her education in Belle Alliance, Louisiana then spent grades 2 to 6 at the Sager-Brown Home in Baldwin, Louisiana. Her middle school years were completed at Saint Benedict the Moor Catholic School in Bertrandville, Louisiana and she graduated from Saint Catherine of Sienna High School in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. While a student at Southern University in New Orleans she entered a talent contest sponsored by the Platta Court # 114 Daughters of Isis, and won first prize for a powerful speech. She won a trip to New York, New York where she participated in the National Shriners Scholarship Talent Contest. While a student at the Sager-Brown Home she was baptized at Trinity United Methodist Church in Baldwin, Louisiana; her godparents were Willamette Sherrod and Walter Patterson. After she completed high school she moved to New Orleans, Louisiana and lived with family members while she furthered her education and then began her retail career and embarked on adulthood. She found employment with a watch company, Cooper and Company, and thus began her retail/management career. In 1979 she was blessed with the opportunity to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia to manage a watch/clock store, It's About Time. She worked as a store manager until the business closed. She then went to work for Kay Jewelers and Walmart where she remained until she retired. As a member of Total Renewal Church of God she truly enjoyed being "in service" to her church. She was a member of the Women's Ministry and participated regularly in their sponsored events. In April 2016 she attended the Women's Spring Conference at Community Church of God and supported a Domestic Violence event. In her retirement years she developed a keen interest in genealogy and became one of the Southall family's most enthusiastic historians. Her mother, Mabel, was known as a very talented cook and it appears Mary Grace inherited her mother's cooking genius. She loved watching cooking shows on TV, collecting cook books and experimenting with new recipes. Her hobbies also included gardening and she took great pride in her garden vegetables which she was always willing to share. A member of the J. Charley Griswell Senior Center, she regularly attended creative arts classes, instructional classes and aquatics. She could hardly ever be found at home in the early mornings during the week, as she was out "rambling" - running errands, shopping and pursuing her various interests. The light of her life was her son, Jamall Anthony Patterson, born in November 1975, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Although she only had one child, she was often cast in the role of surrogate mother/big sister, to her younger cousins, Charles and Jonquil Patterson, Lance and Debra Lewis. She will be deeply missed by a host of family and friends.
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