Patricia "Tisha" Vianne Rutledge

Patricia Vianne Mouton Rutledge was born February 19, 1934 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She grew up in Harrisburg where her father owned and operated a rice mill. She was the youngest of four children in the family.

She accepted Christ as her Savior at age seven in a small Southern Baptist church. All her family attended regularly and she was very active in this church, participating in everything possible. Early on, God caused a hunger for His Word to grow in her heart which lasted all her life.

In 1955 she graduated from Wheaton College with a major in Christian Education. That summer she married Donald Chester Rutledge in Santa Barbara, California where her parents were then residing.

Don and Pat met at The Firs Bible and Missionary Conference in Bellingham, Washington and later were both on summer staff together.

Don was a gifted tenor singer and Pat was an accomplished pianist having studied piano since age 6. Accompanying Don soon became one of her greatest joys. She taught in a Christian grade school in Dallas for the first two years of their marriage as Don finished up his last two years at Dallas Theological Seminary.

During this time they both felt a call to the foreign mission field. The result of that was to join CAM International and go to Guatemala to work at a Christian radio station after a year of language school in Costa Rica. They had a daughter prior to going, and two sons were born in Guatemala. Besides being a homemaker and mom, Pat developed a Correspondence Department which included prayer and a follow-up ministry of the radio work. They served there for seventeen years.

In 1975 after handing off the Director role to a Guatemalan, they returned to the USA where Don became the VP of Home Ministries at CAM in Dallas, TX. Pat continued ministering in a variety of ways: hospitality in their home, some traveling with Don as well as being his accompanist, occasional speaking, and much one-on-one evangelistic and disciple making ministry.

In 1989, God opened a new door for them. They moved to Wenatchee, WA where Don became the pastor at Calvary Bible Church with Pat ministering along with him for 7 years.

In 1996, they went to Kooskia, ID for a six-month interim pastoral assignment.

From there they moved to Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, while their retirement home was being built in Bellingham, WA.

In 1997, they moved to Bellingham, Don's childhood home and where they met. Don became the Pastor to Seniors at Northlake Community Church and Pat ministered in her usual ways, loving and impacting many people.

In 2008 they moved to Tahlequah, OK to a patio home in Go Ye Village with very active ministries at Go Ye and Grace Baptist Church until Pat's health declined and she transitioned to the med center where she lived until her Lord called her Home on October 13, 2022.

Pat leaves a big space in the hearts of her survivors, husband Donald C. Rutledge, daughter Laura R Simmons (Doug Simmons), son Steven M Rutledge, and son James M Rutledge (Kenia M Rutledge), as well as 7 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

We love and miss you but rejoice that you are with Jesus and we will see you again.

Funeral Services for Pat will be held at Go Ye Village Chapel on Saturday, October 22nd, 2022 at 2:00 PM, with the family receiving guests prior to services at 1:00PM also at the Chapel at Go Ye. Pat will be laid to rest at Tahlequah City Cemetery following services. Those wishing to send condolences to her family may do so at www.reedculver.com.