Patricia Fowler

Obituary For Patricia Fowler

Patricia Ann Jackson Fowler was born on May 29, 1951, in Memphis, Tennessee, the oldest of four children born to Willie Frank Jackson Sr. and Artensia Jackson. On May 21, 2024, Patricia transitioned to eternal life and died of heart failure at her home, she was 72.

Pat, as she was affectionately called, was a bossy big sister to her younger siblings, but was protective of them as well. She grew up in a loving home, and Pat benefitted from two sets of parents, her mother and father, and her grandparents, who lived across the street. Therefore, a double dose of lessons of giving, sacrifice, loving and protecting family were learned at an early age.

“My sister was a lover of the family and sacrificed for the overall good of the family,” said her brother, Willie. “What was hers was yours,” he said. “Whatever role that was needed in order to make sure we were safe and cared for, Pat did it. Whatever it took, she was that person.”

As a youngster, Pat grew up in the Hyde Park/Springdale Community and attended Hyde Park Elementary School. Family gatherings, reunions and dinners were the main fabric of growing up in the Jackson household. Outdoor play, including hopscotch, hide and seek, jump rope and attending the Mid-South Fair and the Cotton Carnival, were annual events that Pat and her siblings attended and enjoyed.

For Catherine Sykes, Patricia’s aunt, memories go back to when preschooler, Patricia, was carried in the basket attached to the bicycle of her grandpa, Alton Jackson, Sr., as he rode his bike, most work-day mornings, to Catherine’s house so that Patricia’s grandmother, Mrs. Odie Ward, could babysit. As early as her preschool years, the nurturing family was in place to support and take care of Patricia. That foundation was the common thread that guided her life of service, devotion to family and helping others.

Catherine described Patricia as compassionate, concerned for others, a good judge of character, very observant and a great humanitarian. “She wanted everyone to be included and feel comfortable. During their many family functions, Pat took it upon herself to make sure that the meal was great and that everything was pulled together.”

Catherine also said that with only an eight-year difference in age between the two, they were like sisters. “Patricia wanted to know everything about life…I wasn’t much help because I was sheltered,” Catherine said. In addition, Patricia was responsible for Catherine meeting her husband. Patricia was dating a guy who had an older friend and Patricia introduced Catherine to the friend, who eventually became her husband, B. J. Sykes.

Patricia professed a hope in Christ at an early age and joined Mount Olive Church of God in Christ, the family church, under the leadership of Elder Ernest E. Petty. There, Pat thrived, taking a leading role, singing in the choir and playing piano. However, her adult years were spent at Greater Beulahland Church of God in Christ, where she was Sunday School Superintendent, sang in the choir, was choir president and president of the Praise Team. One of the songs most requested of her to sing was the song, “Jesus, the Miracle Man.” Patricia’s rendition of the song was so popular, that it was recorded and played during the opening of the church’s live weekly television broadcast.

In 2018, Patricia joined Holy City Church of God in Christ, where she sang in the choir and was a president of the Mothers’ Board until her passing.

As a teenager, Patricia graduated from Northside High School in 1969 and began working as a waitress and part-time cook at the grill across the street from Stax Recording Studio on McLemore in South Memphis. As luck would have it, the fulltime cook was absent when singer Isaac Hayes came in with a raw steak and requested Pat cook it and she did. Her only regret was she didn’t take a photo with him to create memories of her story. Her employment after that was short-lived because her mom instructed her to quit the job. After her short stint as a waitress, she found employment at Sears and Roebuck.

In 1971, Patricia met her husband, Nelson Fowler, at the Mid-South Fair. He offered her a ride home after he learned that the busses had stopped running. After a whirlwind romance, the couple married on May 31, 1972, and to the union, two daughters were born. “She was a very good mother and loved her family. She loved going to church and she was a good cook and homemaker,” said Nelson of his wife.

Aside from traveling with her husband, Nelson, on business trips to Washington, DC and Florida, Patricia didn’t like air travel. However, an exception was made during a trip to Los Angeles that she took with her daughters, Trena and Lora. Additional trips were taken by bus such as when she attended the COGIC Women’s Convention in Baltimore, Maryland in 2019, and a trip to Atlanta by car.

Patricia’s legacy as a wife, mother, Christian, caregiver, humanitarian, friend, family-first advocate, singer, homemaker, cook, an advocate of the underdog and quirky sense of humor is undeniable. And, on the job, that same spirit was evident throughout her years as a unit secretary at Methodist University Hospital, a position she loved, along with loving co-workers who embraced her.”

Patricia’s close-knit family life spilled over in her life on the job. After leaving Sears, she was hired as a unit secretary at then Methodist Hospital in 1972. Patricia was eventually hired to work as the personal secretary for the neonatologists of the hospital. However, her sense of family and people skills were utilized when she was assigned to organizing reunions of babies from the Neonatal Unit, their families and the staff. The effort received news coverage because of the volatile and uncertain nature of the babies in the unit, who after months of care, eventually left the hospital and thrived. She retired as the unit secretary in 2010 to take care of her mother, Artensia, who was sick. Although Artensia had to be put in a nursing home after a fall that broke her hip, Patricia made daily visits to the facility, bathing her mother, monitoring her meds and making sure she was being fed, similar to what took place at her mother’s home before she was housed in the nursing home.

And several years before taking care of her mother, Patricia and her grandmother, Mrs. Hattie Jackson, took care of Pat’s grandfather, Alton Jackson, Sr., who was ill and in his 90s before he passed.

In addition, after Patricia’s sister, Debra passed, Pat decided that she needed to take on the responsibility of caring for Debra’s daughter, Artensia “Pumpkin” Nunley, who was a teenager at the time. Lora said her mother took Pumpkin in and treated her like she was her own child.

Daughter Lora reflects on her mother’s sense of humor and comments made to her from her mom while attending the prestigious Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. “When I was in college, a lot of my fellow students were trying out for Saturday Night Live. When I called my mom and told her that I thought that I could do Saturday Night Live and I was thinking about trying out…Her response, “You mean to tell me that you went all the way to Northwestern to tell jokes? But the way she said it, all I could do was say…Oh… okay.” The idea wasn’t mentioned again.

Although Lora felt that her mom was overly protective and shielded her more than her older sister, Trena, she never-the-less credits her mom with creating a lovely upbringing for her. “My mom was so selfless. She prepared three meals daily, preparing lunches, breakfast and dinner for us and my father. She was an excellent cook,” she said.

Lora said that her mom requested the night shift on her job so that she could accompany her daughters and chaperone field trips organized by the elementary school teacher. She said that her mom was so sweet and caring, the kids in Lora’s class would request to ride with her mom during the field trips.

As Lora so aptly summed up her mom’s legacy and what she meant to the family, the sentiment is spot on…“She was saved and sanctified and preached and lived what she taught us.”

Patricia was preceded in death by her daughter, Artrena Fowler, who died on February 27, 2023; her mother, Artensia Jackson and her father, Willie Frank Jackson, Sr.; a sister, Debra Denise Jackson Nunley; and a brother, Melvin Jackson.

She leaves to mourn her passing her husband, Nelson Fowler; a daughter, Lora Fowler; and her brother, Willie Frank Jackson, Jr. (Amelia), all of Memphis; two aunts, Ms. Rosella Ward and Mrs. Lue Catherine Ward Sykes, both of Memphis, and a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and friends.

The family will receive friends Friday, June 7, 2024 from 6:30pm-8:00pm at RS Lewis & Sons 3651 Austin Peay Hwy, Memphis, TN 38128. Celebration of Life will be Saturday, June 8, 2024 1:00pm at Holy City COGIC 3208 James Rd, Memphis, TN 38128.

Internment will be Monday, June 10, 2024 at 2:00pm in West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery, 4000 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, TN 38125