PATRICIA ANN (GLYNN) CLARK
Birth: 25 Jul 1947
Death: 10 May 2013
(age 65 years, 9 months, 15 days)
Patricia Ann Glynn-Clark
Patricia Ann Glynn-Clark was born July 25, 1947 in Morgan City, Louisiana. She was the daughter of Rufus Joseph Glynn and Marjorie Augustine Verrett.
Pat grew up in Morgan City and was very proud of her Louisiana heritage. Her parents divorced when she was young so she and her sister Jeannie lived with their maternal grandparents, Clifford & Florence Verrett, on and off until about 1960. Pat would often tell stories about her childhood. Her grandmother owned a little store and as a child Pat once stole money from the cash register and then later went back and used the money to purchase ice cream from the store. She would laugh and say she didn’t know why she didn’t just take the ice cream.
She described living with her grandparents in a biography she had written for her grandfather:
“When we were going to school at St. Mary Parish Elementary, Jeannie and I would come home for lunch everyday about the same time as Grandpa. He would always give us a nickel while he waited for his ride (probably one of the first camper pickups, it was painted red and white) to bring him back to the shipyards in Berwick. With this nickel, Jeannie and I would go to Guidrois Grocery around the corner after school and buy pink iced gingerbread. Unless it was hot, then we’d walk home from school the long way and stop at the snow cone stand. When Grandpa died in 1970, we checked and sure enough Guidrois was still there and it still had that self-distinguishing smell that I remember from childhood.
Pat grew up in Morgan City and was very proud of her Louisiana heritage. Her parents divorced when she was young so she and her sister Jeannie lived with their maternal grandparents, Clifford & Florence Verrett, on and off until about 1960. Pat would often tell stories about her childhood. Her grandmother owned a little store and as a child Pat once stole money from the cash register and then later went back and used the money to purchase ice cream from the store. She would laugh and say she didn’t know why she didn’t just take the ice cream.
She described living with her grandparents in a biography she had written for her grandfather:
“When we were going to school at St. Mary Parish Elementary, Jeannie and I would come home for lunch everyday about the same time as Grandpa. He would always give us a nickel while he waited for his ride (probably one of the first camper pickups, it was painted red and white) to bring him back to the shipyards in Berwick. With this nickel, Jeannie and I would go to Guidrois Grocery around the corner after school and buy pink iced gingerbread. Unless it was hot, then we’d walk home from school the long way and stop at the snow cone stand. When Grandpa died in 1970, we checked and sure enough Guidrois was still there and it still had that self-distinguishing smell that I remember from childhood.
Pat with her grandpa (Clifford Verrett) & brother Mike
Whenever I close my eyes, I can see him (Grandpa) sitting at the dining room table, covered with the crocheted pineapple tablecloth Mother (Margie) made for Grandma (Florence) a long time ago. There he is wearing a white short sleeved shirt, tan khaki pants, and his hard hat, which is silver, sitting before a plate of rice, navy beans, beef meat, fried sweet potatoes and Grandma’s homemade bread; his favorite meal. Oh yes, there was always a glass of milk too. Grandma was always playfully insulting to him and I can still see his shining blue eyes full of mischief as he teased her.
Pat (left) & her sister Jeannie
We always got up around 3am and had Grandma’s coffee from her white enamel drip pot along with fried dough, which was Grandma’s specialty. I must remember to get his baking powder biscuit recipe from Mother (Margie). I remember once when I was small, I was scared to death one night when he cut his hand pretty badly while working on the window fan in the dining room.”
Pat had very fond memories of living with her grandparents. She spent the rest of her life missing Morgan City, even the alligators coming up to the back porch.
It was sometime in the late 1950’s that jobs in the defense industry brought Pat’s mother, Margie, to the North side of Fort Worth, Texas. Pat went on to graduate from North Side High School in 1965 and this is also where she met her husband, Larry Wayne Clark. They didn’t really know each other in school. Larry was a couple of grades ahead of her but they began to date and write letters to each other when he joined the Navy in 1962. She was even the cause of him going AWOL for several days in November 1963. He was home on leave and decided he wanted to stay with her so he took an extended and unauthorized leave. Well after about two weeks his mother found out he was still in town and she called the Sheriff’s department. At the time Larry did not know who had told on him. In letters to Pat he pleaded with her to find out which one of his friends had done it. It wasn’t until years later that he discovered it had been his own mother.
Larry and Pat married November 5, 1966 and went on to have 4 children: Missy, Tammy, Mark & Sam.
Pat had very fond memories of living with her grandparents. She spent the rest of her life missing Morgan City, even the alligators coming up to the back porch.
It was sometime in the late 1950’s that jobs in the defense industry brought Pat’s mother, Margie, to the North side of Fort Worth, Texas. Pat went on to graduate from North Side High School in 1965 and this is also where she met her husband, Larry Wayne Clark. They didn’t really know each other in school. Larry was a couple of grades ahead of her but they began to date and write letters to each other when he joined the Navy in 1962. She was even the cause of him going AWOL for several days in November 1963. He was home on leave and decided he wanted to stay with her so he took an extended and unauthorized leave. Well after about two weeks his mother found out he was still in town and she called the Sheriff’s department. At the time Larry did not know who had told on him. In letters to Pat he pleaded with her to find out which one of his friends had done it. It wasn’t until years later that he discovered it had been his own mother.
Larry and Pat married November 5, 1966 and went on to have 4 children: Missy, Tammy, Mark & Sam.
Larry and Pat
For a short time in the early 1970’s Larry and Pat moved to Galena Park, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Pat’s sister, Jeannie and her husband and children were already living there and Pat liked the idea of living near her sister. Pat and Jeannie were very close. It also helped that Larry loved being on the water and fishing so he supported the family by working on a shrimp boat. The children still have faint memories of sitting in the car with Pat on the docks waiting for Larry to get off work. Of course he would always bring home a lot of shrimp and never having very much money Pat would put it in spaghetti.
Pat and Larry would take their children fishing quite often. There were many times they would get up early in the morning and drive down to Galveston. They usually went to the same “off the beaten path” spot. Pat was very resourceful and creative. Once she helped Missy and Tammy build a hut on the beach out of limbs and sticks. Mark and Sam were still very young during this time. The hut was just like something you might see on the TV show Gilligan’s Island. There was also a dead tree that had not quite fallen over and the broken branches at the end made it look like it was an open mouth. Missy and Tammy played on it like it was a horse and Pat let them stuff empty cans in it’s “mouth” like they were feeding him.
It was in Galena Park that Pat became very active in her children’s activities. Her involvement would continue throughout their school days. She was the assistant coach for the “Teddy Bears”, a t-ball team that Missy and Tammy played on. Pat’s niece Vicki also played on the team. They all received 1st place trophies.
Of course living in the Houston area puts you in the path of hurricanes. The house Pat and Larry lived in had a huge glass window in the front living room. During hurricane warnings Pat would build a pallet of blankets on the floor in one of the bedrooms that didn’t have as many windows and lay all 4 children down. She would sit in a chair at the head of the pallet and read Tom Sawyer to them. The children never knew what was going on outside or that they were in any kind of danger.
If you knew anything about Pat then you sure knew when she was mad. The old saying “If Momma aint happy no one is” stands true. Her children could be playing in another room and when they’d start fighting or doing something they weren’t supposed to then they could tell by the sound of her walking down the hall that they were in trouble. She had a very distinct sounding walk when she was mad. Once when Mark was in pre-kindergarten his class was going to make a stew. Mark was bringing a potato. On the way to take Mark to school all 4 children were in the backseat passing the potato back and forth taking bites out of it. Pat was so angry when she had to go back home to get another potato.
On another occasion Missy and Tammy had talked Sam into opening Christmas presents early. Sam was the baby of the family and so Missy and Tammy figured he wouldn’t get into trouble. The problem was that they had him open just their presents so it didn’t take long for Pat to figure out who was behind it.
Pat enjoyed being a stay at home Mom but the one thing she didn’t enjoy was house cleaning. In fact, it usually made her quite grumpy. One time Larry came home from work where he was met in the yard by Tammy. Tammy had just come out of the house and slammed the door behind her. When he asked what was wrong she simply replied, “Momma’s cleaning”. Larry didn’t say a word. He just got back into his truck and left. Everyone knew to keep his or her distance when she was cleaning.
The family never had much money but as previously mentioned Pat was very resourceful. She would get old Sears catalogues and magazines and cut paper dolls for Missy and Tammy to play with. She would even cut out furniture. They would play with them for hours.
Pat and Larry would take their children fishing quite often. There were many times they would get up early in the morning and drive down to Galveston. They usually went to the same “off the beaten path” spot. Pat was very resourceful and creative. Once she helped Missy and Tammy build a hut on the beach out of limbs and sticks. Mark and Sam were still very young during this time. The hut was just like something you might see on the TV show Gilligan’s Island. There was also a dead tree that had not quite fallen over and the broken branches at the end made it look like it was an open mouth. Missy and Tammy played on it like it was a horse and Pat let them stuff empty cans in it’s “mouth” like they were feeding him.
It was in Galena Park that Pat became very active in her children’s activities. Her involvement would continue throughout their school days. She was the assistant coach for the “Teddy Bears”, a t-ball team that Missy and Tammy played on. Pat’s niece Vicki also played on the team. They all received 1st place trophies.
Of course living in the Houston area puts you in the path of hurricanes. The house Pat and Larry lived in had a huge glass window in the front living room. During hurricane warnings Pat would build a pallet of blankets on the floor in one of the bedrooms that didn’t have as many windows and lay all 4 children down. She would sit in a chair at the head of the pallet and read Tom Sawyer to them. The children never knew what was going on outside or that they were in any kind of danger.
If you knew anything about Pat then you sure knew when she was mad. The old saying “If Momma aint happy no one is” stands true. Her children could be playing in another room and when they’d start fighting or doing something they weren’t supposed to then they could tell by the sound of her walking down the hall that they were in trouble. She had a very distinct sounding walk when she was mad. Once when Mark was in pre-kindergarten his class was going to make a stew. Mark was bringing a potato. On the way to take Mark to school all 4 children were in the backseat passing the potato back and forth taking bites out of it. Pat was so angry when she had to go back home to get another potato.
On another occasion Missy and Tammy had talked Sam into opening Christmas presents early. Sam was the baby of the family and so Missy and Tammy figured he wouldn’t get into trouble. The problem was that they had him open just their presents so it didn’t take long for Pat to figure out who was behind it.
Pat enjoyed being a stay at home Mom but the one thing she didn’t enjoy was house cleaning. In fact, it usually made her quite grumpy. One time Larry came home from work where he was met in the yard by Tammy. Tammy had just come out of the house and slammed the door behind her. When he asked what was wrong she simply replied, “Momma’s cleaning”. Larry didn’t say a word. He just got back into his truck and left. Everyone knew to keep his or her distance when she was cleaning.
The family never had much money but as previously mentioned Pat was very resourceful. She would get old Sears catalogues and magazines and cut paper dolls for Missy and Tammy to play with. She would even cut out furniture. They would play with them for hours.
Pat with her children (Missy, Mark, Tammy & Sam)
Pat would also sew a lot of her children’s clothes when they were younger. There is a church picture of her with all 4 children. The clothes worn were all made by Pat. Her grandkids tease and refer to it as the “Little House on the Prairie” photo.
Pat also made Halloween costumes for the kids every year. They would then all load up in the car and drive around to the houses of relatives and people they knew and trick or treat. Once she took them to a haunted house at the fire station on Azle Avenue in Fort Worth. She always made holidays a big event.
Pat also made Halloween costumes for the kids every year. They would then all load up in the car and drive around to the houses of relatives and people they knew and trick or treat. Once she took them to a haunted house at the fire station on Azle Avenue in Fort Worth. She always made holidays a big event.
Pat (left) graduated from North Side High School 1965
The family’s stay in the Houston area was short. They returned to the North Side of Fort Worth where Pat would expand her artistic skills. She enrolled in paint classes and cake decorating classes. She loved making things. She would often crochet things for family…house shoes, scarves, afghans, table doilies and Christmas ornaments. She even sewed costumes for the drill team at North Side High School when Missy was a member.
When Missy and Tammy were in grade school at Sam Rosen Elementary Pat became their Camp Fire Girls - Blue Bird Leader. The group would meet up after school at Rosen Heights Baptist Church after school where Pat would teach crafts and other activities. She loved being involved in her children’s lives.
Pat could also be a very caring person. She helped take care of her mother-in-law, Minnie Alice, when she was battling cancer. And she also tended to her husband’s grandmother Lois Keen (Minnie Alice’s mother) when she was ill. Pat was a big help to the family when they needed it the most.
After the kids had all grown up and moved away Larry and Pat started traveling to the different state parks in Texas. They would be gone almost every weekend. On one particular trip Missy and her 2 children tagged along. They went to Rusk and rode the train. Pat kept pictures from that trip in a photo album. In fact, Pat loved being surrounded by family photos. She usually had so many on the wall that you couldn’t see much of the wall.
Things weren’t always good between Pat and Larry. Like any married couple they had their ups and downs. In 1996 they divorced. But Pat was so heart broken when he passed away 2 years later that she didn’t attend his funeral. After the divorce she kept the Clark name. She hyphenated it with her maiden name to Glynn-Clark. She will always be considered a member of the Clark family—in her heart and theirs.
Pat could be a very generous person. Besides giving her crafts to family she would also help others when she could. Sometime around 2000 she was working as a telemarketer and had an apartment on the East Side of Fort Worth. She didn’t make much money but when a neighbor of hers (that she didn’t know very well) couldn’t pay their rent Pat paid it for them. Just a month later Pat was laid off from work and thus moved in with her daughter Tammy. She stayed there nearly 10 years.
In 2010 Pat, no longer able to take care of herself, was moved to a nursing facility. Her niece Debbie would visit quite often and help take care of her. It was Debbie that had given Pat the nickname “Pot Pot”. When Debbie was a little girl she couldn’t say Pat. It came out Pot Pot and the name stayed with Pat throughout the years.
Pat passed away May 10, 2013 surrounded by family photos…including one of Larry as a little boy. Pat’s son Sam and her niece Debbie where also by her side.
Over the past 3 years the nurses at Sante Fe Nursing Care Facility in Weatherford have became Pat’s extended family. They all grew to know and love her. On the morning of Pat’s passing they were visibly upset. They were so saddened that many of them failed a nursing exam that they had been scheduled to take that morning.
Photo courtesy of Tammy (Clark) Brown
Story written by Tammy (Clark) Brown (daughter of Pat)
When Missy and Tammy were in grade school at Sam Rosen Elementary Pat became their Camp Fire Girls - Blue Bird Leader. The group would meet up after school at Rosen Heights Baptist Church after school where Pat would teach crafts and other activities. She loved being involved in her children’s lives.
Pat could also be a very caring person. She helped take care of her mother-in-law, Minnie Alice, when she was battling cancer. And she also tended to her husband’s grandmother Lois Keen (Minnie Alice’s mother) when she was ill. Pat was a big help to the family when they needed it the most.
After the kids had all grown up and moved away Larry and Pat started traveling to the different state parks in Texas. They would be gone almost every weekend. On one particular trip Missy and her 2 children tagged along. They went to Rusk and rode the train. Pat kept pictures from that trip in a photo album. In fact, Pat loved being surrounded by family photos. She usually had so many on the wall that you couldn’t see much of the wall.
Things weren’t always good between Pat and Larry. Like any married couple they had their ups and downs. In 1996 they divorced. But Pat was so heart broken when he passed away 2 years later that she didn’t attend his funeral. After the divorce she kept the Clark name. She hyphenated it with her maiden name to Glynn-Clark. She will always be considered a member of the Clark family—in her heart and theirs.
Pat could be a very generous person. Besides giving her crafts to family she would also help others when she could. Sometime around 2000 she was working as a telemarketer and had an apartment on the East Side of Fort Worth. She didn’t make much money but when a neighbor of hers (that she didn’t know very well) couldn’t pay their rent Pat paid it for them. Just a month later Pat was laid off from work and thus moved in with her daughter Tammy. She stayed there nearly 10 years.
In 2010 Pat, no longer able to take care of herself, was moved to a nursing facility. Her niece Debbie would visit quite often and help take care of her. It was Debbie that had given Pat the nickname “Pot Pot”. When Debbie was a little girl she couldn’t say Pat. It came out Pot Pot and the name stayed with Pat throughout the years.
Pat passed away May 10, 2013 surrounded by family photos…including one of Larry as a little boy. Pat’s son Sam and her niece Debbie where also by her side.
Over the past 3 years the nurses at Sante Fe Nursing Care Facility in Weatherford have became Pat’s extended family. They all grew to know and love her. On the morning of Pat’s passing they were visibly upset. They were so saddened that many of them failed a nursing exam that they had been scheduled to take that morning.
Photo courtesy of Tammy (Clark) Brown
Story written by Tammy (Clark) Brown (daughter of Pat)
Pat - Christmas 2011