Obituary of Patricia P. Light

Pat Light ,age 84 of Boone, passed away on March 7th after a lengthy illness. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Bob; parents, Clorene Parker and William Parker; step-father, Zigman Thomas; sister, Mary Ann Simms; and many close friends and relatives. Pat was born in Jerseyvillle, Illinois, and graduated from Jerseyville High School in 1951. She received her four-year Registered Nursing Degree from what is now Jewish-Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. She worked at Watauga Hospital and Appalachian State University from 1957 until her retirement in 1993. She was a life-long Presbyterian and member of the First Presbyterian Church of Boone.She was an avid sports and recreation fan. She enjoyed any game, especially if a deck of cards were involved. She played tennis regularly until her seventies and enjoyed participating in other sports as well. Having a bounce on a pogo-stick or a jump on a trampoline was not out of the question! She was involved in the American Cancer Society,the Boy Scouts of America, and the Boone Jaycees; and occasionally she acted in community theater productions. She had a beautiful singing voice and played the piano, organ and oboe. Pat had mad dancing skills! She and her husband Bob were involved in many dance clubs for over fifty years. She also won a red ribbon for being first runner-up in the National Clogging Competition in Kentucky in 1975. She was an excellent bowler and pool player and taught her children the love of dancing, music, classic films and plays. Having had four children by the time her oldest son was three, and being the wife of a coach, Pat had little spare time. She enjoyed crossword puzzles, chess, checkers and any board game. She was a master at knitting,crocheting, and hand-quilting and often created her own patterns. She was an avid collector (of everything!), and she and Bob were famous for their holiday decorations and parties. They often had hundreds of trick-or-treaters each year, and their home of six decades was decorated for Christmas year-round. She adored her dogs. Over the years she had many -- from Princess to Danny to Woogie and Tony Joe;and on a rare occasion she might let one of the family cats (Mittens and Kittens) rub up against her leg. Pat was not a feminist, nor was she an activist, and yet she wasn�t afraid to speak her mind. If you didn�t want to hear the truth, she was probably not the person to ask. She loved sparkles, sequins, and plaids. She is survived by her children, Bobby Light (Joyce Copeland) of Atlanta, Georgia; Tommy, Willy, Wally (Shirley) Light, all of Boone; one grandson, Logan, also of Boone; sisters, Gerry Hizer and Susan Bird (David), both of St. Louis; many nieces and nephews (great and great-great); and countless more relatives and friends. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 24, at 1:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church, Boone, NC. The family will receive friends at 12:00 pm prior to the service. Memorials may be made to the Watauga Humane Society(312 Paws Way, Boone, NC 28607) or The Bob Light Tennis Scholarship at Appalachian State University (with checks made out to: ASU Foundation, ASU Box 32014, Boone, NC 28608). Online Condolences may be shared with the family at the website www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Light family.