Zona Dorothy McKelvey

Zona Dorothy Miller was born on March 12, 1934, in Hagerstown, Maryland to Marvin V. Miller and Pauline Myerly Miller. She was the fourth generation of Millers to be born in Washington County, Maryland.

Zona was named after her Aunt Zona Miller Hall, the esteemed soprano who performed with the New York Metropolitan Opera. At the time of her birth, the presiding doctor told his patient that the baby looked like a “Pat” to him. The name stuck and Mom was known as Pat her entire life.

She often told the story about when she started to school, the teachers would address her as Zona, and she would not respond. A teacher sent a letter home expressing concern that Pat was deaf because she didn’t respond to her name being called. Mom’s hearing was fine, but she just didn’t know her name was Zona!

Pat attended South Potomac Jr. High School and graduated with honors from Hagerstown High School in June 1951. She was barely seventeen years old. Always displaying her gift of servitude, she chose to enter the nursing program at Washington County Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1954.

On July 31, 1955, she married Ronald E. McKelvey of Tom’s River, NJ at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hagerstown. At age 23, she gave birth to her first child, a son, Marvin “Yogi” in 1957. Twenty-one months later, she welcomed her second child, a girl she named Susan Lynn. A second girl, Paula Rose, would be born in 1960, and, a second son, Gary William, would arrive in June 1962, her fourth and final child.

For the next 25 years, Pat would tirelessly care for her family, molding them in the ways of Christ and supporting their every endeavor. She balanced the duties of her home, the church and community and was a Senior Brownie Leader with the Girl Scouts of America. Her role as wife and mother would include a move to San Antonio in 1972, after her husband accepted a position with Fairchild Aircraft.

In 1985, her husband’s work took her to Winston-Salem, NC. She would remain there for almost thirty years, active in her community and church, while also acting as caregiver for her mother, Pauline. Relocating back to San Antonio in 2014, she returned to Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, a congregation she helped establish in 1980. This was just in time to become Mother to Lila, her beloved Chocolate Lab rescued from a shelter just two days after her arrival.

Pat was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church. She was very loyal and practiced her faith daily, always taking time to study scriptures and pray for her family and friends. She was a treasure to us all and quickly became known as “Mom” to many. She embraced life fully and was always ready to laugh and have a good time.

Pat is survived by her four children, Marvin “Yogi” McKelvey (Shannon), Lynn Bodet, Paula Myers, and Gary W. McKelvey (Michael Little), six grandchildren, Norman Bodet (Hannah), Ridgely McKelvey (Emmadel), Travis Myers, Ronnie Bodet, Brock McKelvey (Gaia) and Grace McKelvey, and two great-grandchildren. Pat was preceded in death by her father, Marvin V. Miller, mother Pauline M. Miller and brother Harvey H. Miller.

Celebration of Life Service is at 11:00AM on July 5 at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 14700 San Pedro Avenue San Antonio, TX 78232. The body was cremated. In lieu of flowers per Pat’s request, donations can be made to Abiding Presence Lutheran Church (www.aplc.org) or Charming Pet Rescue (www.charmingpetrescue.com).