Patsy was born into a family of musicians. Learning to play the guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin as a child, she toured the U.S. making music with her father’s blue grass gospel band. “We traveled all over the country and would camp out for days at a time,” Patsy described her adventures. “Some nights I would only get a few hours of sleep because I spent all my time playing music with the best bands.” Her favorite stop was The Sanders Family Bluegrass Festival in McAlister, Oklahoma.
Though some would call her a musician, Patsy refers to herself as a country girl. Originally from Arkansas, Patsy moved with her family to Oklahoma after the depression. Patsy, along with her three brothers and two sisters, was raised near Blackwell where her father took a job at a local gas plant. In Oklahoma, Patsy experienced many firsts – she saw her first inside toilet and her first television in this new state.
Her father also instilled in her great work ethic. “We worked to get what we wanted,” Pasty said. “When I was 13, I wanted a car. So I went to work for 30 cents an hour and saved $200 to buy my own car. I was the only teen in Jr. High with a car. Everyone was jealous.”
This hard working woman continued to provide for herself and her three children. She worked in insurance writing health claims to support her family. Fourteen years ago, she paid cash for her current Oklahoma City home. Then, Patsy poured her hard work into remodeling the house. She fixed it up to make it her very own.
Today Patsy lives on social security. She was forced to retire due to her health and is not physically able to provide the remodels she once could. Rebuilding Together has worked with Patsy this summer making the necessary repairs her home needs. With the help of more volunteer teams, her home can become livable and comfortable once again.