Patricia Warner

Patricia (Pat) Pooley Warner left this earth on January 17, 2024 at age 96. She was born

on November 19, 1927, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and according to family lore, she almost

arrived at a University of Nebraska football game. During the Great Depression, Pat

moved with her father Irwin Clinton Pooley, mother Myrtle McKillop Pooley and sister

Anna Mae to Nashville, Tennessee, where she witnessed President Franklin Roosevelt’s

visit to the city and hungry, homeless people begging for food from door to door.

Happier times came when her family moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where Pat

loved visiting her country cousins’ farms to play and ride horses. As a teenager, Pat

played clarinet in the 4-H and Washington High School bands, and she learned the

essential skill of “double-clutching” while driving ammunition trucks during World War

II.

Pat attended several schools during her college career, including Iowa State College, the

University of South Dakota, and finally the University of Oklahoma, where she was a

member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and earned a degree in social work. A Theta

roommate Mary Warner introduced Pat to her older brother John, who became the love

of her life.

Pat and John began their 66-year partnership on a frigid day in Des Moines, Iowa, on

February 25, 1950. They honeymooned in Mexico, which would be the beginning of their

life-long love of traveling. The young newlyweds then moved to Tyler, Texas, where John

entered the foundry business, and their two daughters, Katherine and Amanda, were

born. Pat devoted herself to raising their children and instilling in them the traditional

values that uphold the family today.

Like other civic-minded women of her time, Pat contributed her energy and talent to a

variety of community activities. She was a Girl Scout leader for 10 years and sang in the

First Presbyterian Church choir. She was active in the Tyler Junior League, serving as

chairman of several committees and performing in children’s theater plays. Pat loved

playing the villains, who were much more interesting characters than the heroes.

Tyler was a better place because of Pat’s leadership and involvement. She was chairman

of the Annual Heart Fund, president of the Smith County Child Welfare Board and served

on several Texas Rose Festival committees. Daughter Amanda was the 1973 Rose Queen.

After John’s retirement, the couple traveled the world by private jet, ocean liners, trains,

and automobile, visiting well over 100 countries on every continent. Pat and John

possessed a remarkable sense of adventure and were among the first U.S. tourists to

visit Vietnam after the war. Pat always had an eye for the unusual, and they collected

native artwork on their travels and fine art at home.

Once their globetrotting days were behind them, they settled in Dallas at the Edgemere,

where they made many new friends and enjoyed life. Above all, Pat remained a devoted

companion to John until his passing and ever thoughtful to those around her. Pat’s family

will miss her indomitable spirit, sense of style, and appreciation for life’s adventures, as

will those friends and acquaintances who she would periodically ask, “Have you been

behaving yourself?”

Pat is survived by daughters Katherine Ott and Mandy Jackson and her husband Andy.

She was extremely proud of her grandchildren and their families: Kyle Ott and wife

Chinh; Zoe Yuhas and husband Tim; Carly Jackson and Thomas Joseph Bogan III; Tyler

Jackson and wife Landon. Pat also had five great-grandchildren: Gabriella Kate Yuhas,

Benjamin Rexford Yuhas, James Nguyen Ott, Evelyn Mai Ott and Finley Jane Jackson.