Patricia Anne Grimes

Pat was born on November 20, 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee. She graduated from Forrest High School in Jacksonville, Florida in 1968. She was married to her high school sweetheart David Grimes on November 7, 1970 in Jacksonville, Florida. In her early career, she worked at Travelers Insurance and then was a stay-at-home mom from 1974 to 1996. She supported her husband during his years attending Baptist University of Florida and pastoring four churches in Florida. In 1998, she, along with her husband and daughter, relocated to Arizona for ministry work. Her son, Brandon, joined them in 2005. As an empty nester, she worked as a manager for Diane’s Hallmark in Gilbert, AZ for five years. Before retiring, she taught the culture class at Adobe Montessori Preschool for ten years.

Pat was also a member and president of Gator Clowns in Jacksonville, Florida as Patty Whack and touched countless lives spreading joy and laughter through kids’ birthday parties, painting faces for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Christmas party and visiting cancer patients at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital.

Pat was a member of several churches over the years including most recently Central Christian Church in Gilbert where she attended and served for over ten years. In 2014 she started a Life Group where dozens of women were welcomed, encouraged and strengthened in their walk with the Lord. She and David hosted and facilitated three retreats to the Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, California where they made friends with the resident monks and staff and made lifelong memories with friends and family. For the last two years she attended Heart Cry Church in Queen Creek where she met new friends and served at the welcome desk.

Pat was passionate about moms, babies, children and youth and taught vacation Bible school, AWANAS and served in children’s ministry. She also attended as a chaperone for her daughter’s youth group trips. For ten years she served as a client advocate at the Pregnancy Care Center in Chandler where she advised many mothers-to-be. She also had the honor of leading several of them to accept Christ as their Savior, and she taught soul winning classes to her fellow volunteers.

Pat was the mom anyone would want to have and was a “bonus mom” to children and adults alike. She blessed people wherever she went and never turned down a chance to host, encourage or give a gift. She opened up her home and heart to anyone and was a safe place to land for people who needed it. Her passion for family, sharing God’s love, hospitality, and her life group were evident in all she did. She was a dedicated and fun-loving wife, mom, daughter, sister, Nana and friend. She embraced living the “with-God life” and she did it beautifully and abundantly.

Pat is survived by her husband David Grimes; her son, Brandon Grimes, daughter-in-law Julie and grandsons Logan and Tanner, and her daughter Tabitha Dumas, son-in-law Drew and grandsons Andrew and Ethan and granddaughter Kate; her sister Pamela Ojala; and her mother Evelyn Ryan.

Pat's Celebration of Life will be held at Heart Cry Church 9339 W Hunt Highway, Queen Creek, AZ 85144 on Saturday, January 11th at 1:00pm. Guests are asked to wear pink.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to David’s Go Fund Me fundraiser: https://gofund.me/0bee7ba6

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