Patricia L. Kirkpatrick

Patricia Lou (Heeter) Kirkpatrick, 66, of St. Joseph, formerly of Millburg, passed away on Friday, July 31 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph. A funeral service celebrating her life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, at St. Joseph First United Methodist Church, 3003 Leco Ct. in St. Joseph. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday, August 3, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Starks and Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph Patricia was born on February 7, 1943 in Benton Harbor, MI, the middle of three daughters of Eugene (Butch) and Lucille (Garlanger) Heeter. Pat lived in and graduated from Hartford in 1961. Pat worked for the Eldon Smith Insurance Agency in Millburg for many years. She also worked as a teller at Peoples State Bank and later at NBD Bank. She returned to school and earned her Business Associates degree from Lake Michigan College in May 1997. She enjoyed her service to the people of Berrien County, working for Benton Township, retiring in 2001. On February 23, 1991, she was united in marriage to Thomas Kirkpatrick. They loved spending time together attending car shows and vacationing in various favorite locations, especially Frankenmuth. Pat loved her flower gardens and reading her Bible and “Our Daily Bread.” Most of all, Pat cherished the time she spent watching her grandchildren participate in sporting and school events. Pat had a giving and compassionate heart extending well beyond her family. Her strong belief in God was manifested in her attendance at Calvary Bible Church in Benton Township and later at St. Joseph’s First United Methodist Church in St. Joseph. Pat is survived by her husband, Tom; son, Butch (Lori) Jarvis of Coloma; step-children, Robert (Ann) Kirkpatrick of St. Joseph, Teresa (David) Pifer of St. Joseph and Jim (Tammy) Jarvis of Mishawaka, IN; sisters, Sandra (Floyd) Sanders of Sister Lakes and Deborah (Burt) Tetzlaff of South Bend, IN; and sister-in-law Ruth (Carl) Hewitt of South Haven. The true joys of her life were her grandchildren Caroline, Alyssa and Erik Jarvis, Nicholas and Zachary Kirkpatrick; Leah, Reed and Riley Pifer and Alexandra, Mackenzie and Nathaniel Jarvis. She was loved by her many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were her parents, Butch and Lucille Heeter. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. As expressions of sympathy, memorial contributions may be directed to the American Lung Association.