Patti Marie Britton

Patti was born in Dallas, Texas on March 28, 1951, to Pat and Chuck Aydt. The family moved to Arlington, Texas in 1954, where they became charter members of The Church of the Good Shepherd. As an adult she would say, “That was the church that built me.” It has been said that even as a baby, she would always have a smile on her face and would laugh out loud when she was placed in front of a TV playing I Love Lucy.

Patti attended Louise Blanton Elementary, Carter Junior High, and Arlington High School. When she turned sixteen, she found a job at Six Flags Over Texas that she described as magical. The year she graduated from high school, Six Flags awarded her a scholarship that paid for her last three years at the University of Texas at Arlington. After graduation, she was a substitute teacher for Arlington ISD, then went on to work for AT&T in customer service. When Patti was a child and people asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she always recited the same three things: I want to marry a man who will always love me no matter what. And I want to live in a brick house with lots of trees in the yard, but the most important thing is I want to have a little girl I can love with all of my heart. As she grew, that wish list never changed, and on August 7, 1970, she married a man, Carl Britton, who would stand by her side, be her best friend and always love her – no matter what.

The brick house with a bounty of trees came three years later, and in 1978, she gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl, Lori, whom she loved with all of her heart. When Lori turned three, she told her mom she wanted to go play with the kids in their school. So Patti enrolled Lori in a preschool and accepted a job as a teacher in the same place. And while her child graduated from the preschool, Patti stayed for the next 15 years so she could continue with her passions – children’s literature, painting, arts and crafts, and sharing all the love in her heart with every child who came into her class. After Lori married, Patti said when her mid-life crisis collided with her empty nest syndrome she felt shattered. So, she got a little Yorkie, Katie, and hit the walking trails, and hiked in the woods, for eight years.

There, she discovered the serenity of nature and made friends with people from all walks of life. During that time she met a woman, Loreane Tomlinson, mother of the NFL’s star running back, and member of the NFL Hall of Fame, LaDainian Tomlinson (LT). Mrs. Tomlinson said God told her to ask Patti to co-write her book, LT & Me, with her, and so she did. The book was published and suddenly she was a writer, and wrote two other books, Walking with Katie and a Glimpse of Hope. When asked why she accepted a project the magnitude of LT & Me, with no writing experience, she replied, “I took it on faith.” May she rest in peace. (Please note: Patti gifted Carl and Lori with the beautiful prose above herself, written in 2018.)

Besides her parents, she is preceded in death by her in-laws, Lee and Louise Britton.

She is survived by her loving husband, Carlton Lynn Britton; her adoring daughter, Lori Britton Knowles (Brad Knowles); her sister Deborah Marinelli and brother Steve Aydt; and numerous friends and family.

A Private Family Graveside Service will be held in Fort Worth, TX. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, or a special charitable organization of your choosing.