Patricia Anne Embree

Patricia Anne Kline (Patty) was born September 30, 1955 in Port Shepstone, Natal, Republic of South Africa to parents Phillip Stephen Kline and Mary Lois (Heath) Kline, who were serving in South Africa as missionaries. Phil served as principal of the Technical School at Edwaleni until it was closed by the Apartheid government. He then served as builder for Free Methodist ministries in southern Africa. In her childhood, Patty’s family moved frequently: about a dozen times before she was 13. One notable stop was at Chikombedzi, Southern Rhodesia, in 1960, when the Kline and Embree families became close.

After a furlough in Kansas, the Kline family was sent to central Africa, and served in Congo, from which they became refugees, Burundi, and finally Kibogora, Rwanda, a beautiful mission on the shores of Lake Kivu. When they returned from Africa in 1968, they settled in Modesto, California, down the street from the Embree family. In Modesto Patty attended La Loma Junior High, Thomas Downey High School, and Modesto Junior College. In 1978 she completed her Bachelors of Arts with an art major from Seattle Pacific University.

The summer of her graduation Patty married David Embree, and began a 46-year marriage and career as a homemaker and pastor’s wife. Along the way, she gave birth to three children: Christine Elizabeth, Michael Paul, and Julie Anne, and devoted herself to full-time parenting. Hospitality was one of her gifts, and she practiced it with grace. When the church in Santa Rosa was meeting in a store-front, she saw that there were homeless people joining for the refreshments, so she upgraded the refreshments into a full breakfast. After we moved back to Modesto in 2008, she helped with and eventually led the hospitality ministry. She also took a regular turn at teaching children’s church and always provided creative crafts to enhance the Bible lessons.

Patty’s life was impacted by an auto accident in 1981, in which she suffered severe injuries with life-long consequences. She never let the discomfort she felt stop her from serving others, whether those in her family, neighbors who needed help, and especially those in the church. The autumn of her life became increasingly difficult. Her mother needed more care, David was living with and caring for his father, who had Alzheimer’s, and Patty’s memory was failing her, and nobody realized it. After she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, while she was still able, she helped restore the Sunday morning refreshments and fellowship after Covid. She never stopped loving. Her end of suffering and promotion to eternal life was very early in the morning of Sunday, May 11, 2025 in Modesto, California. She is survived by her husband, David Embree, four siblings: Paul Kline (Betty) , Nancy Wonder (Peter) , David Kline (Lori), and Janet Porazzo (Joe); her three children: Christine Embree, Michael Embree (Kayla) and Julie Partridge (Joey), four grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces.