Patty was born October 1, 1951 to Billy Bert and Iva Mae Graves. She graduated from Woodlawn High School (1969) and went on to attend X-ray school at Montclair Baptist. After working briefly as an X-ray tech at Eastside Medical Center, she returned to school at UAB and obtained her nuclear medicine degree. After graduating, she began a 25-year career at UAB, where she also obtained certification in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. She worked her way through a variety of clinical and research positions in nuclear medicine and MRI, eventually becoming the manager of the Cardiac MRI facility. She participated in many of the pioneering research projects that shaped and developed cardiac MR imaging into what it is today. She is still credited as a special thanks for helping to develop the manual and users guide for the GE Medical Systems guide to MR.
After retiring from UAB in 2000, she began doing medical transcription as a hobby. Nearly 10 years later, after working, teaching and managing in the transcription field, she retired again.
Patty was an avid quilter and seamstress and loved to quilt, knit, crochet and sew. She loved to share her talents and teach classes. She was an active member of the Birmingham Quilters Guild for many years, as well as many other local bees and guilds. She also loved to cook, travel and tell goofy jokes.
She is survived by her two children, daughter Tracy Lynn Bischoff, 47, and husband Jeffery Kent Fox, of Woodstock, GA, son Joseph Lee Bischoff, 43, and wife Jennifer Morton Bischoff, of Hanceville, AL, and sister Sandra Lee Graves and husband Kenneth D. Bowling of Florence, AL, and close cousin Kay Troupe of Birmingham, AL. She also is survived by ex-husband Raymond George Bischoff of Birmingham, to whom she was married for 44 years. She was a devoted grandmother and leaves behind one granddaughter, Savannah Vivian Bischoff, 14, of Hanceville, AL, and a step-granddaughter, Rebekah Kimberlin Fox, of Birmingham.
Visitation will be held Friday from 5-7 pm at Ridout’s Valley Chapel Funeral Home in Homewood. The funeral will be held at 1:30 pm Saturday at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, followed by graveside service at Forest Hill Cemetery.
Memorials may be sent to the Birmingham Quilters Guild for the Cuddle Quilts Service Project, P.O. Box 59106, Birmingham, AL 35259. Services are under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel (205-879-3401) in Homewood.
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