Pat graduated from Industrial High School in 1960 and soon after met the love of her life Travis Jack Pruitt. They married April 1st, 1961, but their love was no April Fools Joke. They were married 64 wonderful years and he was by her side until the very end.

Pat was a beautician for 59 years before hanging up the scissors and ran Pat’s Beauty Shop behind her home for 50 years, which allowed her the opportunity to be a homemaker and take care of her two girls Jacque and Penny. Being a hairdresser was a good job for her as we all know she loved to talk! Pat spent many days doing perms, shampoos and sets, but also working on embroidery and sewing clothes for her girls (and their dolls). She was also very crafty, was a wiz with a spray paint can and also redid many pieces of furniture throughout the years. She loved family heirlooms and was a very sentimental person keeping every high school mum, prom dress and her batons she twirled with in high school. Another talent of hers was cooking and baking! She made supper every night for her family and also had a dessert prepared for after every meal.

Pat was known as momma, memaw and Aunt Pat to those she loved and was a cheerful friend to everyone she came across, including those she barely knew. If you were lucky enough to know her, or worked in any doctor’s office or place she frequented, you were probably greeted at some point with one of her delicious homemade sweets. Her banana cake, cupcakes, pies, cookies, chocolate mice and Almond Bark Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers were Jackson County favorites! She also spent hours each year creating custom calendars for her family with everyone’s birthdays on it and she sent cards for everything and would spend lots of time picking out just the right one for the occasion (and most of them had a special drawing or comic strip slipped into them as well). Pat’s screen door was always open and many kids, nieces and nephews considered her as their second mom growing up. She was also Memaw to not only her own grand and great grandkids, but to all their friends as well.

She had the biggest heart and made sure everyone around her felt special and loved.

She loved going to Wal Mart and Whataburger, piddling at every dollar store in South Texas and stopping in Edna to get her daily Dr. Pepper. She was a Cobra fan through and through but when cheering on her great grandkids, she would proudly wear her Cowboy blue. She loved camping and spent over 30 summers at Garner State Park where some of her fondest memories were made. Pat was really proud of her kids, grandkids and great grandkids and would brag about her family and show pictures of everyone to anybody willing to listen.

She sat through hundreds of ball games, dance recitals, cheerleading competitions, marching contests, 4-H events and One Act Play performances over the years. In her free time, she loved sitting on her porch watching her birds and enjoyed all her flowers and plants and talking on the phone! She loved decorating for the holidays and if you’ve ever driven down 234 you’ve probably seen her scarecrow or Santa Claus out in front of her house. She would always be thinking about what she could add to it the next year to make it better!

Pat was a faithful Christian and member of Baptist Temple Church in Edna where she was a Sunday School teacher for many years. One of her greatest accomplishments she said was that her family knew and loved Jesus.

She cherished her church family, many of whom she knew for 60+ years and no doubt she made thousands of deviled eggs over the years for numerous church gatherings.

She had a long list of ailments in her life starting with a cleft lip, living with rheumatoid arthritis, battled breast cancer (without telling her family) and had multiple shoulder, back, knee and foot surgeries, but was not one to ever really complain. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold the new has come.” Although we will miss her dearly, we are happy that she has been made new, is no longer in pain, and that we will see her again one day!

She wanted this write up to be short, but that was hard to do with a life as long and a heart as full as hers! (Sorry Memaw!)

Pat is survived by her loving husband Travis, daughters: Jacque & Pat Mercer and Penny Lucas; Grandchildren: Sarah & Cody Bradley, Patrick & Amber Mercer, Jack & Alyssa Hamm, Sydney Hamm, and Great Grandchildren: Blaine Bradley, Baylor Bradley, Brynn Bradley, Mack Mercer and a new baby girl due in November.

A graveside service was held at 10:30 am on June 12, 2025 at Memory Gardens in Edna with Pastor Ryan Nelson officiating.

Pat’s wishes for her family after her burial were “Dinner or Supper, wherever family prefers - Eat, Drink and Be Happy!” So, we did just that!

Pallbearers were Pat Mercer, Patrick Mercer, Jack Hamm, Joe Hamm, Blaine Bradley, and Cody Bradley.

The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at Citizens Hospital as well as Hospice of South Texas - The Dornburg Center of Compassion for the excellent care she received over the past several weeks. In lieu of flowers or plants, donations should be made to Hospice of South Texas or the charity of your choice.