Anne Pate's Obituary
Anne Stephenson Pate For a woman who didn’t receive her first passport until her forties, Anne Stephenson Pate managed to see the entire world within her lifetime. With her beloved husband, James W. Pate, M.D., Anne visited nearly every country on the globe. Exotic, unusual and even dangerous locales appealed to her the most. When questioned about the apparent risks of many of her trips, Anne often quipped that she certainly didn’t want to die of boredom in Memphis. Sadly Anne died on March 2, 2016, from complications of pulmonary fibrosis. A loving wife, mother and grandmother, community service contributor, keen adventurer and gracious Southern lady, Anne began her life on Dec. 7, 1929, in Hephzibah, GA, where she was raised by her grandparents. After graduating from high school with honors, Anne attended Augusta (GA) Junior College before entering the nursing school at The Medical College of Georgia. A chance encounter on campus between a young future physician and a beautiful aspiring nurse began a lifetime of romance between Anne and her husband of 68 years, Jim. An untiring supporter of her husband, Anne accompanied him as he joined the Navy and served three years in Bethesda, MD. With her toddler son Jimmy in tow, Anne roamed the many museums and art galleries of Washington, D.C., in her spare time. As she frequently remarked, these visits proved to be better than getting a college degree in fine arts. After naval duty and a two-year stay in Birmingham, AL, the Pates moved to Memphis, Anne’s home for nearly six decades. There she became active in many charitable and cultural organizations, holding many leadership positions. Through the years, she served as Chairman of the Board for both the Memphis Heart Association as well as the Tennessee Heart Association. She was president of the Shelby County Medical Auxiliary and later served as president of the statewide Tennessee Medical Association Alliance. She also headed the Faculty Spouses Club at The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. A staunch supporter of the Nineteenth Century Club, Anne held many leadership positions over the years. She also volunteered with St. Jude Hospital, the American Cancer Society, the Association for Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, the Memphis Arts Council, the Symphony League, the Children’s Heart Clinic of Tennessee and the Women’s Exchange of Memphis. Beginning in her forties when her children were older, Anne became an energetic scuba diver, tennis player, skier and sailor. She dived in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, South Pacific and off the coast of Indonesia. With friends Francis and Mary Cole, Anne and Jim frequently sailed throughout the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas and in the South Pacific. Their sailing adventures peaked with a two-week crossing of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea with friends, George and Lenora Stephens of Memphis. In 1972, Anne joined Jim in Vietnam where he was a volunteer civilian surgeon during the Vietnam War. After his service was completed, the couple continued on a circuitous journey around the globe for many weeks. A highlight of this trip was watching the sunrise over Mt. Everest in Nepal. Their jaunt ended in Trinidad where they joined the Coles for a relaxing sail around nearby islands. At 59 years old, Anne and Jim spent five days climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. Of the 38 members of their climbing group, the Pates were two of only seven who summited the peak and the oldest of these participants. Geopolitics sometimes arose, but rarely interfered with Anne’s travel plans. Visiting Syria and its ancient ruins was a special interest of the couple. In 1972 while in Beirut, Anne and Jim joined a German tour group for a day trip to Damascus, as travel to Syria was not allowed for Americans at that time. They, of course, were “outed” at the border and spent several hours at a desert military checkpoint. After much persuasion, Anne and Jim were allowed a six-hour tour of the city, with their own private armed military guard. Shortly after 9/11, the Pates were again in Damascus where they hovered in a hotel while huge Anti-American riots complete with burning flags raged outside. Not to be dissuaded, they hired a guide with a car and driver and enjoyed an educational tour of all of Syria. “The Syrian people were very polite, hospitable, helpful and caring, even as the local television networks constantly showed the killing of women and children by American bombs in Afghanistan,” said Jim Pate as he remembered that tense time in the world. For 20 years during the 1970s and 1980s, Anne spent several weeks each year with friends in Paris and later on the French Riviera near Monaco. During this time, she and her friends traveled all over Europe with Anne usually at the wheel. As a traveling companion, Anne always brought excitement to any journey. She firmly believed in the principle that drinks are always in order because, as she said, it’s always five o’clock somewhere. At the age of 84, Anne, Jim and their two daughters, Susan and Pat, travelled to Morocco. They ended their trip sleeping in a tent in the Sahara Desert near the border of Algeria. When morning came after a long, cold night, Anne cheerfully arose in the early light, bundled up and mounted a camel for a sunrise ride in the desert. Jim and Pat somewhat grudgingly joined her while daughter Susan stayed warmly wrapped in the tent. This love of life, travel and learning never left Anne’s heart. In addition to her husband, Anne’s survivors include her three children: son James Wynford Pate, II and his wife Elizabeth Lisle, of New Orleans; daughter Susan Pate Milner and her husband Robert of Somerville, TN, and daughter Patricia Lee Pate of Memphis. Anne also loved and enjoyed her grandchildren and many great grandchildren. These include her granddaughter Lee Anne Holman and her husband Craig of Milton, GA, and their children EJ (Edwin James), Jackson and Leighton; her grandson Andrew Pate Akers and his wife Chelsea of Clarkesville, GA, and their children Jaelin and Adeline; her granddaughter, Margaret Sullivan Bryant and her husband Chris of Richardson, TX, and their children, Jacob and Nora; Robert R. Milner, III, and his wife Marion of Memphis; and granddaughter Lee Whitman Milner of Brooklyn, NY. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at Memorial Park Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Church Health Center, 1210 Peabody Avenue, Memphis, TN or the Memphis Union Mission, 383 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN.
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