Patsy Kay Taylor Summers

On November 5, 1940, James Harvey Taylor, Jr. and Brooksie Janice McElroy Taylor welcomed their only child into the world at the Humble Oil Refinery Hospital in Baytown, Texas. This beautiful baby girl grew up to be a loving and devoted daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother—her main jobs throughout her life. She was also a talented seamstress and loyal friend. As a young woman, Patsy Kay was a dancer, a member of the Rainbow Girls and the Daughters of the American Revolution, and began to play the clarinet. During high school Patsy participated in the Gander Band at Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown, where she graduated in 1959. She also joined the Future Nurses Club and became the president of that organization as a senior. Patsy was proud to call Robert E. Lee her alma mater and continued her relationship with her classmates until recently, always being involved in planning class reunions and making sure to stay in contact with people she valued and admired. She even kept going to her husband Bill’s high school reunions after he passed in 2003. Patsy married Willam Alton (Bill) Summers, Jr., on August 7, 1959, just after she graduated from high school. She then followed him to Austin, Texas, where Bill was finishing his degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She began her college education there as well, but that education was interrupted when Patsy found out she was pregnant and when Bill accepted a job with Texaco in Liberty, Texas. In December of 1960, Patsy began her career as a mother with the birth of Arlene Kay, a career that grew in May of 1962, with Valerie Fay, and again in December of 1965 with Kelly Doyle. She took this career seriously, constantly trying to be the best mother she could be and loving her children unconditionally. Patsy also started a second career early in life when she began to sew clothes for her children. That sewing career expanded as she studied patterns, talked with other seamstresses, and began to build her collection of patterns, material, and notions, as well as machines. She loved learning more and more about sewing—learning how to make men’s suits, how to sew boat cushions to save money for her husband’s hobby, and how to smock when she became a grandmother, along with many other feats. Although Patsy did not achieve her dream of becoming a doctor or a nurse, she did plenty of doctoring and nursing of her children and grandchildren – and several neighborhood children along the way as well. Because she loved the field of medicine, Patsy was thrilled when her daughter Arlene became a pediatrician and when her grandson Andrew was accepted into medical school in 2015. She was also quite proud of her son Kelly for continuing the family tradition of working in the oil business and of her daughter Valerie for her accomplishments in the field of teaching as well as of all of her other grandchildren and all of their accomplishments in sports, academics, and music. As any of her friends would attest, Patsy did not hesitate to share her children’s and grandchildren’s stories with anyone who would listen. She also loved hearing the stories of her children, her grandchildren, and all the other people she loved. She listened to their stories and asked questions in order to know all the details. She cared about people and wanted them to know she would do anything for them. Survivors include daughter Arlene Meyer and her husband Chris Meyer and children, Lauren, Andrew, and Scott; daughter Valerie Taylor and her husband Kerry Taylor and sons Brian and Sean; son Kelly and his children Travis and Erika; and her cousin Kelly Charles Mudd. Patsy was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, William Alton (Bill) Summers, Jr. and her parents, James Harvey, Jr. and Brooksie McElroy Taylor. Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 6, 2017 from 6:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. at The Settegast-Kopf Co. @ Sugar Creek, with Funeral Services on Friday, April 7, 2017 at 11:00 A.M. Graveside services will take place in Gonzales, Texas at Gonzales City Cemetery at 3:30 P.M, located at Spur 146 and Highway 90.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Smocking Guild of America at http://www.smocking.org/donate.php, Fort Bend Women’s Center at http://www.fbwc.org/get-involved/donate/ or a charity of your choice.