Agnes Patton

Pauline Patton was a generous and kind-hearted woman, who never said no to someone in need. She fed the homeless who came to her door; she welcomed her children’s friends if they needed a place to stay; she even gave a home to an Army buddy of her son Ron’s when he was discharged early from the service. She was filled with the joy of Christ, and no challenge could shake her faith. Pauline’s greatest joy and greatest pride was always her beloved family; her children, her grandchildren, and her great-children are her legacy to the world.

Pauline was born on January 2, 1916, to proud parents William Logan and Nina Essie (Robinson) Fuller. Sadly, Nina passed away only two years later, leaving Pauline in the care of her grandparents. When her grandmother died four years after that, Pauline was raised by her loving father and grandfather, a civil war veteran. Her grandpa was deaf, and so Pauline got into the habit of holding out her hand whenever she wanted money. Her grandpa would put a coin in her hand, and Pauline would shake her head. She would then hold up several fingers, and her grandpa would put that many coins into her hand.

Pauline grew up in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, where she was a bit of a tomboy. She loved swimming in the creek behind her grandpa’s house, and often caught crawdads and fished. Her constant companion was a pet duck named Diddle-diddle, who always joined her for those swims in the creek. Many years later at a restaurant, when Pauline caught sight of a neighboring table with an order of et tu, she remarked (not quietly) that she “used to fish with that!”

Pauline walked to school everyday. If she was in a hurry, though, or sometimes just for fun, she would hop on a freight train for a few minutes and then hop off again before it had picked up too much speed. Pauline wasn’t all rough and tumble action, however. She loved reading, too, a passion that would last for her entire life. In her ninety-six years on this earth, she read the Bible through, cover to cover, over thirty times.

The years went by, and before Pauline knew it she had grown into a beautiful young woman. The new attention she got from the boys took her by surprise – one day, soon after she learned to drive, she was whistled at and promptly ran off the road, wrecking the car! Although Pauline was well-read and thoughtful, she didn’t have a lot of formal schooling. She liked to say that she went through high school – in one door and out the other. At the time, she was intimidated by the size of the school and the large number of students.

Pauline’s marriage was blessed with eleven children, six sons (Ronald, Paul, Larry, Jeff, Darrell, and a son who died at birth) and five daughters (Mary, Kay, Carol, Joyce, and Susan). Although her husband would eventually leave, Pauline was up to the challenge of raising ten children on her own. Strong and feisty, the closest she ever came to complaining was a joking threat to her kids when they were misbehaving: “If I’d known how you kids were going to behave when your dad left me, I’d have went with him!”

Pauline was supported and uplifted her entire life by an incredibly strong faith. Once, when one of her daughters really wanted a jump-rope and there was no money to buy one, Pauline prayed for help. The next morning, a brand new coil of rope was sitting in the vegetable garden. Another time, Pauline was trying to deal with a yard full of noisy, raucous blackbirds. Her son Larry tried everything to get rid of the pests – firecrackers, smoke, the hose – but nothing worked. Then Pauline decided it was time to get serious about the problem. She asked her fellow congregation members at the Westbrook Church of The Nazarene to pray about the issue, and by the next morning, the birds were gone!

Pauline was a strict mother, who worked hard to keep her kids in line. She fought her battles on the home front – most of her combat was hand to backside! Whenever one of her kids asked to do something in the near future, Pauline was fond of replying, “We may all be dead by then.” The family was completed by a dog named Baby, to whom Pauline was much attached. Baby would have toast and coffee (and cream and sugar) with Pauline every morning. Although Baby drank the coffee, he always buried the toast in one of the flowerbeds.

Pauline was a hard worker all her life, and even as her children grew up and left home one by one, she didn’t slow down. She got her first paying job at the age of 50, working in a factory. She later moved to Kankakee, Illinois, where she briefly worked for St. Mary’s Hospital. Her last job was at Shapiro Developmental Center, where she worked for 17 years before retiring in 1980.

Although Pauline had visited almost all fifty of the Unites States, and seen majestic sights from Mt. St. Helen’s to Niagara Falls, for her family remained the most awe-inspiring sight of all. She said the greatest day of her life was seeing her four sons working together to build her a new deck just this past July.

Generous, strong, and witty, Pauline was a loving mother, a proud grandmother, a faith-filled Christian, and a loyal friend. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by her many friends and family members.

Pauline Patton died on August 20, 2012, at her home. Her family includes her sons and daughters-in-law, Ronald and Linda Patton of Griggsville, Paul and Roseanne Patton of Kankakee, Larry and Madonna Patton of Bourbonnais and Jeff and Marsha Patton of Cedar Point; her daughters and sons- in-law, Mary Shelton of Homer Glen, Kay and Robert LaChapelle of Bonfield, Carol Patton and Rick Lindhorst of Bourbonnais, Joyce and Eddy Hutson of Bourbonnais and Susan Patton of Bradley; her grandchildren, David Patton, Sean Patton, Carrie Sue Patton, Casey Patton, Kathy Bailey, Mike Patton, Kathy Rolwing, Steve Patton, Kimberly Rykhus, Lauren Hana, Tricia Karraker, Phillip Patton, Jerry Lee Shelton, Dan Neumann, Adam LaChapelle, Carrie Ann Meents, Stephanie Kent, Josh Hutson, Jill Hickel, Jeff Hutson, Jeremiah Hutson, Kristina Stroud, and Sarah Koop; and 12 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Nina Fuller; her sons, Darrell Patton and a son who died at birth; her brother, Carlos Fuller; her special son-in-law, Edward Shelton; and her grandchildren, Julie and Jason Hutson.

A gathering of family and friends will be held on Thursday, August 23, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Kankakee Schreffler Life Story Funeral Home. The funeral service will be Friday at 10:00 a.m., also at the funeral home, with Rev. Todd Peeler officiating. Burial will follow at All Saints Cemetery in Bourbonnais, IL. Memorials can be made to the Westbrook Church of The Nazarene, Multiple Sclerosis, or the American Diabetes Foundation. Please visit Pauline’s personal memory page at shrefflerfuneralhomes.com, where you can learn more about her life, share a favorite memory or photo, and sign her memorial book online.