PATRICIA NELL (LEWIS) HUGHES, lifelong resident of Hattiesburg Mississippi, only daughter of Joseph Durward Lewis and Helen Bufkin Lewis, and loving wife of Thomas Ivey Hughes for 59 years, left this world on January 29, 2022. Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes, born February 16, 1931, was 90 years old.
Services will be held at 1:00 PM Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home with visitation beginning at 12:00 Noon Wednesday at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home. Interment will be in Roseland Park Cemetery.
Patricia or "Bear" as her children and grandchildren called her, treasured reading, maintaining stacks of books at her bedside and next to her favorite chair. At last count, her library of classics and mystery novels exceeded 3,000 volumes. She revered poetry, gardening, cooking and especially cake decorating, which she perfected decades ago baking elaborate cakes for her children and grandchildren's parties---celebrating all elements of popular culture from Cowboys and Indians to Barbie- in the 1960s to Miss Piggy and Star Trek in later years. She loved chocolate, flowers, Christmas, and sports, especially baseball, (and the Atlanta Braves) attending hundreds of games and recalling statistics of each grandchild who played sports.
Patricia was an excellent swimmer, equestrian, gardener, poet and Southern hostess. She orchestrated legions of birthday parties and scores of elaborate social gatherings for Carnival Kings, Queens, Dukes and Maids, as well as festive soirees for family and friends. She loved to sing from America's songbook, and her repertoire of 1930s and 40s popular music and camp songs would outlast a green Chevrolet station-wagon road trip from Hattiesburg to Gulfport and beyond, with Tommy and four smiling and laughing children joining in---remembering every single note and lyric (more from exhausting repetition than exceptional memories).
Patricia was courageous, stubborn, opinionated, strong, determined and defiant. She surprisingly defeated polio in 1955 and the Spring of '56, teaching herself to walk again after doctors delivered the news that she may never again be ambulatory. She practically willed herself into good health.
Patricia was always "in charge" of everyone and everything. She would say things like "I'm cold, put on a sweater." Bear loved babies, children, horses, dogs, cats and all wild things. She was not afraid of any part of the natural world - including worms, mice, snakes and spiders - saying "they just live here like we do."
Patricia grew up riding her horse Princess all over Hattiesburg and inspired her children to love and care for horses. The barn, lake, pastures and arena at Lake Hill, the home she and Tommy built in the 1960s, was the location of many adventures for all who visited.
Although Patricia's lasting achievement was maintaining her role as the matriarch of a sprawling family, she must also be remembered for her generosity with her family and friends. What was hers was always ours, and she gave freely to those whom she loved throughout her life, never expecting repayment for any of it. Bear's generosity was exceptional. Her bequests ranged from monetary gifts to carefully chosen and often magical - fantastical Christmas and birthday presents to exotic fun-loving family vacations. But above all, her most remarkable and important legacy is her never-ending sharing of her tremendous energy and lively spirit. Even in Patricia's last days her remarkable life force was present as it was in every moment of her long life.
Patricia was an artist in every regard- from the clothes she wore with amazing style - to the vibrantly colored flowers she planted in beds around her pool – to styling her house. Notably, there was a theme for each space in her home at Lake Hill: a red room – green room – and blue room. Importantly, receiving a Christmas or birthday present from Patricia was like accepting a piece of fine art, created with love - from the shape of the box- to the color of the ribbon to the specifically chosen card that often included a message in rhyme.
Patricia loved travel and adventure and had a lifelong love affair with New Orleans, maintaining an apartment on the corner of Napoleon and St. Charles situated on the Mardi Gras parade route where she hosted many gatherings of family and friends. Bear had a passion for ballet, piano jazz, and Broadway Plays, going to New York as often as she could, drinking champagne and listening for hours as Bobby Short played piano tunes at the Algonquin Hotel.
Above all, Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes loved the Gulf of Mexico water and its sugar sand beaches, adoring to sit for hours and days at a time burying her toes in the sand at Grayton Beach, challenging anyone to dispute "the water on the Emerald Coast is the prettiest in the world," and recalling her love of sailing which she learned from Skipper Tucker at Camp Kittiwake located on Mississippi's Gulf Coast in the 1940s. At any time, with very little prompting, she would launch into a lively chorus of her beloved sailing song - "sailing winds are blowing - calling you and me - telling tales of new worlds far beyond the silver seas... speed our ships with courage - sails unfurled at dawn - high winds low winds breeze or blow winds we sail on!" -- And - so we shall, but we will greatly miss Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes!
Patricia was predeceased by her parents, Joseph Durward "JD" Lewis and Helen Bufkin Lewis, by her husband, Thomas Ivey Hughes, her daughter, Helen Karlynn Hughes Courtney and her grandsons, Lewis Trevor Speed and James Joseph "JJ" Courtney.
Patricia is survived by her three devoted children, Thomas Durward "Dud" Hughes (Sally), Ivey Karen Hughes Spencer (Sonny) and Dorothy Tucker Hughes Mikell. She will be missed by her surviving grandchildren Ivey Lloyd Henson Hannon (Bob), Karen Rivers Spencer (Guy Feltenstein), Heath Turner Courtney, Lori Ruth Hughes Fletcher (Scotty), Patricia Ivey Hughes, Thomas Ward "Ty" Hughes (Danielle) and Patricia Chandler Speed Finnegan (Joshua). She leaves devoted great-grandchildren, Josey Lislynn Courtney Cavanaugh (John), Kelley Michelle Courtney, Cole Courtney, Murray Lloyd Hannon, Robert Ivey Hannon, Kaitlyn Kindel, Katie McKenna Finnegan and great, great grandchildren, Jaxtyn and June Cavanaugh.
The Patricia Hughes family members greatly appreciate the excellent care provided to Patricia during the last days of her life by Forrest General Home Care and Hospice and its generous and loving caregivers Vanessa and Liz.
In lieu of gifts of flowers the family members suggest gifts to Main Street Methodist Church and/or Forrest General Home Care and Hospice.
Obituary and arrangements by Hulett~Winstead Funeral Home, Hattiesburg, MS.
Services will be held at 1:00 PM Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home with visitation beginning at 12:00 Noon Wednesday at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home. Interment will be in Roseland Park Cemetery.
Patricia or "Bear" as her children and grandchildren called her, treasured reading, maintaining stacks of books at her bedside and next to her favorite chair. At last count, her library of classics and mystery novels exceeded 3,000 volumes. She revered poetry, gardening, cooking and especially cake decorating, which she perfected decades ago baking elaborate cakes for her children and grandchildren's parties---celebrating all elements of popular culture from Cowboys and Indians to Barbie- in the 1960s to Miss Piggy and Star Trek in later years. She loved chocolate, flowers, Christmas, and sports, especially baseball, (and the Atlanta Braves) attending hundreds of games and recalling statistics of each grandchild who played sports.
Patricia was an excellent swimmer, equestrian, gardener, poet and Southern hostess. She orchestrated legions of birthday parties and scores of elaborate social gatherings for Carnival Kings, Queens, Dukes and Maids, as well as festive soirees for family and friends. She loved to sing from America's songbook, and her repertoire of 1930s and 40s popular music and camp songs would outlast a green Chevrolet station-wagon road trip from Hattiesburg to Gulfport and beyond, with Tommy and four smiling and laughing children joining in---remembering every single note and lyric (more from exhausting repetition than exceptional memories).
Patricia was courageous, stubborn, opinionated, strong, determined and defiant. She surprisingly defeated polio in 1955 and the Spring of '56, teaching herself to walk again after doctors delivered the news that she may never again be ambulatory. She practically willed herself into good health.
Patricia was always "in charge" of everyone and everything. She would say things like "I'm cold, put on a sweater." Bear loved babies, children, horses, dogs, cats and all wild things. She was not afraid of any part of the natural world - including worms, mice, snakes and spiders - saying "they just live here like we do."
Patricia grew up riding her horse Princess all over Hattiesburg and inspired her children to love and care for horses. The barn, lake, pastures and arena at Lake Hill, the home she and Tommy built in the 1960s, was the location of many adventures for all who visited.
Although Patricia's lasting achievement was maintaining her role as the matriarch of a sprawling family, she must also be remembered for her generosity with her family and friends. What was hers was always ours, and she gave freely to those whom she loved throughout her life, never expecting repayment for any of it. Bear's generosity was exceptional. Her bequests ranged from monetary gifts to carefully chosen and often magical - fantastical Christmas and birthday presents to exotic fun-loving family vacations. But above all, her most remarkable and important legacy is her never-ending sharing of her tremendous energy and lively spirit. Even in Patricia's last days her remarkable life force was present as it was in every moment of her long life.
Patricia was an artist in every regard- from the clothes she wore with amazing style - to the vibrantly colored flowers she planted in beds around her pool – to styling her house. Notably, there was a theme for each space in her home at Lake Hill: a red room – green room – and blue room. Importantly, receiving a Christmas or birthday present from Patricia was like accepting a piece of fine art, created with love - from the shape of the box- to the color of the ribbon to the specifically chosen card that often included a message in rhyme.
Patricia loved travel and adventure and had a lifelong love affair with New Orleans, maintaining an apartment on the corner of Napoleon and St. Charles situated on the Mardi Gras parade route where she hosted many gatherings of family and friends. Bear had a passion for ballet, piano jazz, and Broadway Plays, going to New York as often as she could, drinking champagne and listening for hours as Bobby Short played piano tunes at the Algonquin Hotel.
Above all, Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes loved the Gulf of Mexico water and its sugar sand beaches, adoring to sit for hours and days at a time burying her toes in the sand at Grayton Beach, challenging anyone to dispute "the water on the Emerald Coast is the prettiest in the world," and recalling her love of sailing which she learned from Skipper Tucker at Camp Kittiwake located on Mississippi's Gulf Coast in the 1940s. At any time, with very little prompting, she would launch into a lively chorus of her beloved sailing song - "sailing winds are blowing - calling you and me - telling tales of new worlds far beyond the silver seas... speed our ships with courage - sails unfurled at dawn - high winds low winds breeze or blow winds we sail on!" -- And - so we shall, but we will greatly miss Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes!
Patricia was predeceased by her parents, Joseph Durward "JD" Lewis and Helen Bufkin Lewis, by her husband, Thomas Ivey Hughes, her daughter, Helen Karlynn Hughes Courtney and her grandsons, Lewis Trevor Speed and James Joseph "JJ" Courtney.
Patricia is survived by her three devoted children, Thomas Durward "Dud" Hughes (Sally), Ivey Karen Hughes Spencer (Sonny) and Dorothy Tucker Hughes Mikell. She will be missed by her surviving grandchildren Ivey Lloyd Henson Hannon (Bob), Karen Rivers Spencer (Guy Feltenstein), Heath Turner Courtney, Lori Ruth Hughes Fletcher (Scotty), Patricia Ivey Hughes, Thomas Ward "Ty" Hughes (Danielle) and Patricia Chandler Speed Finnegan (Joshua). She leaves devoted great-grandchildren, Josey Lislynn Courtney Cavanaugh (John), Kelley Michelle Courtney, Cole Courtney, Murray Lloyd Hannon, Robert Ivey Hannon, Kaitlyn Kindel, Katie McKenna Finnegan and great, great grandchildren, Jaxtyn and June Cavanaugh.
The Patricia Hughes family members greatly appreciate the excellent care provided to Patricia during the last days of her life by Forrest General Home Care and Hospice and its generous and loving caregivers Vanessa and Liz.
In lieu of gifts of flowers the family members suggest gifts to Main Street Methodist Church and/or Forrest General Home Care and Hospice.
Obituary and arrangements by Hulett~Winstead Funeral Home, Hattiesburg, MS.
PATRICIA NELL (LEWIS) HUGHES, lifelong resident of Hattiesburg Mississippi, only daughter of Joseph Durward Lewis and Helen Bufkin Lewis, and loving wife of Thomas Ivey Hughes for 59 years, left this world on January 29, 2022. Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes, born February 16, 1931, was 90 years old.
Services will be held at 1:00 PM Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home with visitation beginning at 12:00 Noon Wednesday at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home. Interment will be in Roseland Park Cemetery.
Patricia or "Bear" as her children and grandchildren called her, treasured reading, maintaining stacks of books at her bedside and next to her favorite chair. At last count, her library of classics and mystery novels exceeded 3,000 volumes. She revered poetry, gardening, cooking and especially cake decorating, which she perfected decades ago baking elaborate cakes for her children and grandchildren's parties---celebrating all elements of popular culture from Cowboys and Indians to Barbie- in the 1960s to Miss Piggy and Star Trek in later years. She loved chocolate, flowers, Christmas, and sports, especially baseball, (and the Atlanta Braves) attending hundreds of games and recalling statistics of each grandchild who played sports.
Patricia was an excellent swimmer, equestrian, gardener, poet and Southern hostess. She orchestrated legions of birthday parties and scores of elaborate social gatherings for Carnival Kings, Queens, Dukes and Maids, as well as festive soirees for family and friends. She loved to sing from America's songbook, and her repertoire of 1930s and 40s popular music and camp songs would outlast a green Chevrolet station-wagon road trip from Hattiesburg to Gulfport and beyond, with Tommy and four smiling and laughing children joining in---remembering every single note and lyric (more from exhausting repetition than exceptional memories).
Patricia was courageous, stubborn, opinionated, strong, determined and defiant. She surprisingly defeated polio in 1955 and the Spring of '56, teaching herself to walk again after doctors delivered the news that she may never again be ambulatory. She practically willed herself into good health.
Patricia was always "in charge" of everyone and everything. She would say things like "I'm cold, put on a sweater." Bear loved babies, children, horses, dogs, cats and all wild things. She was not afraid of any part of the natural world - including worms, mice, snakes and spiders - saying "they just live here like we do."
Patricia grew up riding her horse Princess all over Hattiesburg and inspired her children to love and care for horses. The barn, lake, pastures and arena at Lake Hill, the home she and Tommy built in the 1960s, was the location of many adventures for all who visited.
Although Patricia's lasting achievement was maintaining her role as the matriarch of a sprawling family, she must also be remembered for her generosity with her family and friends. What was hers was always ours, and she gave freely to those whom she loved throughout her life, never expecting repayment for any of it. Bear's generosity was exceptional. Her bequests ranged from monetary gifts to carefully chosen and often magical - fantastical Christmas and birthday presents to exotic fun-loving family vacations. But above all, her most remarkable and important legacy is her never-ending sharing of her tremendous energy and lively spirit. Even in Patricia's last days her remarkable life force was present as it was in every moment of her long life.
Patricia was an artist in every regard- from the clothes she wore with amazing style - to the vibrantly colored flowers she planted in beds around her pool – to styling her house. Notably, there was a theme for each space in her home at Lake Hill: a red room – green room – and blue room. Importantly, receiving a Christmas or birthday present from Patricia was like accepting a piece of fine art, created with love - from the shape of the box- to the color of the ribbon to the specifically chosen card that often included a message in rhyme.
Patricia loved travel and adventure and had a lifelong love affair with New Orleans, maintaining an apartment on the corner of Napoleon and St. Charles situated on the Mardi Gras parade route where she hosted many gatherings of family and friends. Bear had a passion for ballet, piano jazz, and Broadway Plays, going to New York as often as she could, drinking champagne and listening for hours as Bobby Short played piano tunes at the Algonquin Hotel.
Above all, Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes loved the Gulf of Mexico water and its sugar sand beaches, adoring to sit for hours and days at a time burying her toes in the sand at Grayton Beach, challenging anyone to dispute "the water on the Emerald Coast is the prettiest in the world," and recalling her love of sailing which she learned from Skipper Tucker at Camp Kittiwake located on Mississippi's Gulf Coast in the 1940s. At any time, with very little prompting, she would launch into a lively chorus of her beloved sailing song - "sailing winds are blowing - calling you and me - telling tales of new worlds far beyond the silver seas... speed our ships with courage - sails unfurled at dawn - high winds low winds breeze or blow winds we sail on!" -- And - so we shall, but we will greatly miss Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes!
Patricia was predeceased by her parents, Joseph Durward "JD" Lewis and Helen Bufkin Lewis, by her husband, Thomas Ivey Hughes, her daughter, Helen Karlynn Hughes Courtney and her grandsons, Lewis Trevor Speed and James Joseph "JJ" Courtney.
Patricia is survived by her three devoted children, Thomas Durward "Dud" Hughes (Sally), Ivey Karen Hughes Spencer (Sonny) and Dorothy Tucker Hughes Mikell. She will be missed by her surviving grandchildren Ivey Lloyd Henson Hannon (Bob), Karen Rivers Spencer (Guy Feltenstein), Heath Turner Courtney, Lori Ruth Hughes Fletcher (Scotty), Patricia Ivey Hughes, Thomas Ward "Ty" Hughes (Danielle) and Patricia Chandler Speed Finnegan (Joshua). She leaves devoted great-grandchildren, Josey Lislynn Courtney Cavanaugh (John), Kelley Michelle Courtney, Cole Courtney, Murray Lloyd Hannon, Robert Ivey Hannon, Kaitlyn Kindel, Katie McKenna Finnegan and great, great grandchildren, Jaxtyn and June Cavanaugh.
The Patricia Hughes family members greatly appreciate the excellent care provided to Patricia during the last days of her life by Forrest General Home Care and Hospice and its generous and loving caregivers Vanessa and Liz.
In lieu of gifts of flowers the family members suggest gifts to Main Street Methodist Church and/or Forrest General Home Care and Hospice.
Obituary and arrangements by Hulett~Winstead Funeral Home, Hattiesburg, MS.
Services will be held at 1:00 PM Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home with visitation beginning at 12:00 Noon Wednesday at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home. Interment will be in Roseland Park Cemetery.
Patricia or "Bear" as her children and grandchildren called her, treasured reading, maintaining stacks of books at her bedside and next to her favorite chair. At last count, her library of classics and mystery novels exceeded 3,000 volumes. She revered poetry, gardening, cooking and especially cake decorating, which she perfected decades ago baking elaborate cakes for her children and grandchildren's parties---celebrating all elements of popular culture from Cowboys and Indians to Barbie- in the 1960s to Miss Piggy and Star Trek in later years. She loved chocolate, flowers, Christmas, and sports, especially baseball, (and the Atlanta Braves) attending hundreds of games and recalling statistics of each grandchild who played sports.
Patricia was an excellent swimmer, equestrian, gardener, poet and Southern hostess. She orchestrated legions of birthday parties and scores of elaborate social gatherings for Carnival Kings, Queens, Dukes and Maids, as well as festive soirees for family and friends. She loved to sing from America's songbook, and her repertoire of 1930s and 40s popular music and camp songs would outlast a green Chevrolet station-wagon road trip from Hattiesburg to Gulfport and beyond, with Tommy and four smiling and laughing children joining in---remembering every single note and lyric (more from exhausting repetition than exceptional memories).
Patricia was courageous, stubborn, opinionated, strong, determined and defiant. She surprisingly defeated polio in 1955 and the Spring of '56, teaching herself to walk again after doctors delivered the news that she may never again be ambulatory. She practically willed herself into good health.
Patricia was always "in charge" of everyone and everything. She would say things like "I'm cold, put on a sweater." Bear loved babies, children, horses, dogs, cats and all wild things. She was not afraid of any part of the natural world - including worms, mice, snakes and spiders - saying "they just live here like we do."
Patricia grew up riding her horse Princess all over Hattiesburg and inspired her children to love and care for horses. The barn, lake, pastures and arena at Lake Hill, the home she and Tommy built in the 1960s, was the location of many adventures for all who visited.
Although Patricia's lasting achievement was maintaining her role as the matriarch of a sprawling family, she must also be remembered for her generosity with her family and friends. What was hers was always ours, and she gave freely to those whom she loved throughout her life, never expecting repayment for any of it. Bear's generosity was exceptional. Her bequests ranged from monetary gifts to carefully chosen and often magical - fantastical Christmas and birthday presents to exotic fun-loving family vacations. But above all, her most remarkable and important legacy is her never-ending sharing of her tremendous energy and lively spirit. Even in Patricia's last days her remarkable life force was present as it was in every moment of her long life.
Patricia was an artist in every regard- from the clothes she wore with amazing style - to the vibrantly colored flowers she planted in beds around her pool – to styling her house. Notably, there was a theme for each space in her home at Lake Hill: a red room – green room – and blue room. Importantly, receiving a Christmas or birthday present from Patricia was like accepting a piece of fine art, created with love - from the shape of the box- to the color of the ribbon to the specifically chosen card that often included a message in rhyme.
Patricia loved travel and adventure and had a lifelong love affair with New Orleans, maintaining an apartment on the corner of Napoleon and St. Charles situated on the Mardi Gras parade route where she hosted many gatherings of family and friends. Bear had a passion for ballet, piano jazz, and Broadway Plays, going to New York as often as she could, drinking champagne and listening for hours as Bobby Short played piano tunes at the Algonquin Hotel.
Above all, Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes loved the Gulf of Mexico water and its sugar sand beaches, adoring to sit for hours and days at a time burying her toes in the sand at Grayton Beach, challenging anyone to dispute "the water on the Emerald Coast is the prettiest in the world," and recalling her love of sailing which she learned from Skipper Tucker at Camp Kittiwake located on Mississippi's Gulf Coast in the 1940s. At any time, with very little prompting, she would launch into a lively chorus of her beloved sailing song - "sailing winds are blowing - calling you and me - telling tales of new worlds far beyond the silver seas... speed our ships with courage - sails unfurled at dawn - high winds low winds breeze or blow winds we sail on!" -- And - so we shall, but we will greatly miss Patricia Nell Lewis Hughes!
Patricia was predeceased by her parents, Joseph Durward "JD" Lewis and Helen Bufkin Lewis, by her husband, Thomas Ivey Hughes, her daughter, Helen Karlynn Hughes Courtney and her grandsons, Lewis Trevor Speed and James Joseph "JJ" Courtney.
Patricia is survived by her three devoted children, Thomas Durward "Dud" Hughes (Sally), Ivey Karen Hughes Spencer (Sonny) and Dorothy Tucker Hughes Mikell. She will be missed by her surviving grandchildren Ivey Lloyd Henson Hannon (Bob), Karen Rivers Spencer (Guy Feltenstein), Heath Turner Courtney, Lori Ruth Hughes Fletcher (Scotty), Patricia Ivey Hughes, Thomas Ward "Ty" Hughes (Danielle) and Patricia Chandler Speed Finnegan (Joshua). She leaves devoted great-grandchildren, Josey Lislynn Courtney Cavanaugh (John), Kelley Michelle Courtney, Cole Courtney, Murray Lloyd Hannon, Robert Ivey Hannon, Kaitlyn Kindel, Katie McKenna Finnegan and great, great grandchildren, Jaxtyn and June Cavanaugh.
The Patricia Hughes family members greatly appreciate the excellent care provided to Patricia during the last days of her life by Forrest General Home Care and Hospice and its generous and loving caregivers Vanessa and Liz.
In lieu of gifts of flowers the family members suggest gifts to Main Street Methodist Church and/or Forrest General Home Care and Hospice.
Obituary and arrangements by Hulett~Winstead Funeral Home, Hattiesburg, MS.
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