HIGH POINT - Patricia Lynn Plaxico, a designer, historian and lover of arts and music, died on January 2, 2018, in High Point. Pat was born on September 24, 1940, the daughter of James Marion Plaxico and Minnie Hackler Plaxico. She grew up in Winston-Salem and graduated from Glenn High School. Thereafter, she attended the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in design at Iowa State University. Pat later completed courses in French architecture and furniture at Parson's in New York and fashion marketing at New York University.
Pat was initially associated with Alderman Company in High Point for some 20 years. Originating the concept of having a showroom set up in room scenes, she was immediately recognized for her creativity and worked on numerous major projects relating to the furniture industry. "1 can't wait to see what I can do" became her trademark theme. Pat was a preservationist and student of history. Her projects have included Market Square in High Point (transforming of a factory into a furniture showroom); the E. J. Victor building; the Grayson House (presently the Bienenstock Furniture Library); restoration of the old Guilford County Courthouse; the High Point Museum; the Golf Club at Roaring Gap; the Historic #1 Fire Station in High Point; the J. H. Adams Inn; the Opera House and Downtown Victorian buildings in Historic Stanford, Kentucky; the library at the North Carolina Governor's Mansion; the Phillips-Davis Building in High Point; campus buildings at High Point University, Duke University and Hollins College; and numerous other historic homes and/or building in North Carolina and the eastern United States. Pat was honored for her work as the first Luminary Award recipient by the International Furnishings and Design Association and Designer of the Year Award by the American Society of International Designers.
Pat was a significant supporter of the Piedmont Opera and was honored with the 2013 Terry Allen Volunteer of the Year Award. Pat was a member of the Board of Directors of the Bienenstock Furniture Library where a garden was created in her honor. Additionally, she was honored by High Point University with its installation of the Patricia Plaxico Climbing Rose Garden. She was actively involved with the High Point Museum, Penn-Griffin School of the Arts, the Wachovia Historical Society, The Daughters of the American Revolution, the Historical Book Club of North Carolina, the North Carolina Museum of History Associates, the Wilson Quarterly Book Club, the High Point Tuesday Study Club, and the Mid-Week Garden Club. Additionally, she attended both First Presbyterian Church and St. Mary's Episcopal Church in High Point.
Pat loved her Rolls Royces, good food, High Point, and lifelong friends. Being a student of landscape architecture, the arts and history, Pat led study groups to numerous sites over the years in the South and Fast. She loved international travel and considered Bali her favorite. The friends who have loved her over the years and those who have provided special care during periods of illness are countless, and her family is incredibly grateful. Pat is survived by her sister Sylvia Hartzog (Mark), her niece Julie Garcia (Roy), her nephew Clay Hartzog, her great-niece Lindsey Beatty, and, her great-nephew Sebastian Garcia, all of Nashville, Tennessee.
The family will receive visitors from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on January 5, 2018, at Sechrest Funeral Home. A musical celebration of Pat's life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on January 6,2018, at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in High Point. The family will receive visitors for a period of one (1) hour prior thereto. A private burial service will follow at 3:30 p.m. in the Bullock Creek Presbyterian Cemetery in Bullock Creek, South Carolina. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to: the Bienenstock Furniture Library, 1009 North Main Street, High Point, North Carolina 27262; or, the High Point Historical Society, 1859 East Lexington Avenue, High Point, North Carolina 27262; or, the Piedmont Opera, 636 Holly Avenue NW, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101; or, High Point University, 1 University Parkway, High Point, North Carolina 27262; or, High Point Preservation Society, P.O. Box 5653, High Point, NC 27262; or, St. Mary's Episcopal Church Music Endowment, 108 West Farriss Avenue, High Point, NC 27262.
Online condolences for Patricia can be made at www.sechrestfunerals.com. Sechrest Funeral Service is honored to serve the Plaxico family.
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