Patricia "Patsy" Fralich Keith

Patricia “Patsy” Fralich Keith of Arlington, TN passed from this life on January 23, 2019. She escaped from all the pain and indignities of severe rheumatoid arthritis as well as all the bonds, boundaries, restrictions, and captivity of sickness and went running into the arms of her Savior and friend, Jesus Christ. Her empty wheelchair makes those of us left behind both sad and glad. Sad because we will miss her loving spirit, creative wit, determination, and especially her Christian witness shared with all she encountered. Glad because we know she is in Heaven with her Lord and reunited with her parents, Mary Alice and Sterling, along with many dear friends and loved ones. As we grieve her passing and begin to truly miss her, we can rest assured she is singing, playing piano and dancing in the heavenly celebration, still giving of herself and sharing her gifts and talents with the saints just like she did with us. Don’t you wish she could write one last newspaper article about the fabulous worship experience she is having right now? Patsy was born on October 9, 1950, in Memphis, TN, and attended Treadwell High School, graduating in 1968. Then she went on to what was then Lambuth College in Jackson, TN where she sang in several choirs, worked on the yearbook staff, and was a founding member and later president of Phi Mu Fraternity. After earning a B.S. in social work, Patsy worked at the Arlington Developmental Hospital and also shared her compassionate and caring heart as a volunteer ministering to abused women on the hotline and at the shelter. Patsy married Bob Keith in June of 1973 while he was in the U.S. Navy and stationed at Millington. Shortly after they wed, Bob’s Navy assignment sent them to Athens, Greece, where they had such an adventure learning, at the same time, how to be married and how to speak, think, live, cook, write and just BE Greek! Both Patsy and Bob immersed themselves in the Greek culture and were rewarded with an experience and memories to last a lifetime. After a brief stay in Jacksonville, Florida, the couple returned to Memphis where Bob worked in the family business and Patsy continued her volunteer efforts. Patsy was very active in her home church, Decatur Trinity Christian, where she sang in the choir, played piano, became a leader of Disciple Women, and facilitated numerous Bible studies at the church. Patsy and Bob taught children’s Sunday school for many years and made an impact for Christ in the lives of their students. Later they taught adult Sunday school and served as church elders and as members of the official board. Patsy had always enjoyed writing and studying about writing as a vocation. She began writing church news for the Bartlett Express and soon was recruited by the Commercial Appeal as a freelance writer covering the complete church scene in several areas around Memphis. Her talented and creative journalism skills brought her well-deserved recognition and afforded her many interesting and memorable interviews and contacts. One highlight was when she was asked to be a judge at the Memphis-In-May Barbeque contest. Patsy continued her writing for the newspaper until she was no longer physically able but continued to enjoy other people’s writing and to appreciate a well-turned phrase. She was an avid reader who liked visiting the library and perusing the bookstore whenever she could. She read and collected cookbooks and became an excellent cook who loved preparing meals for family and friends. Planting and growing flowers and herbs in pots, Patsy wanted her backyard to be attractive to all kinds of birds, especially cardinals, because they reminded her of the presence of angels all around us. In recent times, no longer able to do much physically, she drew satisfaction from reading, spending fun times with her grandchildren and watching Antiques Roadshow. To the very end, Patsy was passionate about loving her Lord, serving Him by serving others, and going on the next big outing to some new place she’d never been before. Heaven, here she comes! Patsy leaves her husband of 45 years and faithful caregiver, Bob, daughter, Emily (Ricky) Hutchens, grandchildren, Luke Hutchens and Sydney Hutchens, and a sister Ginger (Paul) Moore. The family would like to thank all of the hospice staff for their care and compassion, especially Meta, Stephanie, Julie, Kim and Tina; and also friends and loved ones for their prayers and support. The family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Friday, January 25, 2019 and a funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, January 26, 2019 both at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 N. Germantown Rd., Bartlett, TN. Memorial gifts may be made to Decatur Trinity Christian Church, 4210 Altruria Road, Memphis, TN 38134 or Crossroads Hospice, 1669 Shelby Oaks Drive, Suite 106, Memphis, TN 38134 www.crhcf.org