She was born in Canton, Mississippi on June 24, 1941 to Joseph Samuel Moore and Malvina McCool Moore.
Patience grew up on Choctaw Lake in Ackerman, MS. In 1959, she graduated from Ackerman High School, attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, completing a B.A. in Music. Patience followed in the footsteps of her mother and pledged Delta Delta Delta sorority so she would be allowed home during the holidays.
Patience had an expansive and eclectic work life with a sweep through teaching music, banking, secretarial work, bookstore managing, and owning a bed and breakfast. Through the years, she was often asked by friends and family to help them arrange furniture, hang pictures, and organize closets. She had a particular gift for taking a house full of things, and creating a vibrant space that reflected the personality and character of each inhabitant. Energized by these opportunities, she decided to follow her bliss and started her decorating business, Have Patience, and shared this talent far and wide.
A life-long Episcopalian, Patience was baptized, raised, and confirmed at Church of the Resurrection in Starkville. Whether she was fresh out of college and singing in the choir at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Memphis or directing the children’s choir at St. David’s in Nashville, church was always central to her life. After moving back to Mississippi in 1974, a newly single mother of two, Patience found community and a fresh start at St. Philip’s Church in Jackson. The church was less than a mile from where she had purchased her very first home on Sunnyvale Drive, also known as Anglican Acres by many. For decades, she sang in the choir, was a member of the altar guild, and served as a lay eucharistic minister. With a passion for Christian formation, Patience completed the three-year course, Education for Ministry, and was part of the first team trained as facilitators for the Disciples of Christ in Community course used throughout the Episcopal Church. In the early nineties she served as the parish administrator to help support formation programs like DOCC, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, parish weekends, and Bible study groups. In the larger church, Patience served at Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy, Camp Bratton-Green both as camper and staff, and regularly attended Diocesan events. Where Patience left her biggest mark in parish life was her profound gift of hospitality. There were often celebrations to be hosted, or meals for pastoral care to be delivered. Patience was at the ready to help prepare a beautiful feast to build up the community of faith and give us all a little glimpse of the Kingdom of God.
Patience adored traveling, whether it was to see her grandchildren or an adventure across the ocean. New places and new people always gave her joy, but the core of her life was spent in her home entertaining and welcoming people from all walks of life. Her door was always open, and the table was always set for one more.
Knowing that Patience always liked to have the last word, it seems only fitting to end by quoting what she wrote to friends at a reunion: “Through these years, the friends I’ve had, the love I’ve known, and the pain of ‘growing up’ have been bountiful! Though this is not the script I originally wrote for my life, it is what it is. Even with divorces, floods, deaths, cancer, and broken bones, life is God’s gift to the willing. You were all part of that ride, and I thank you for sharing.”
Patience is survived by her daughters, Susan Ford (Kevin Hengst), Paige Fisher (Peter Fisher), her grandchildren, Maddie and Sophia Hengst, Annie and Sam Fisher, her sister, Susan Clark (Joe Clark), and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A Requiem Eucharist will be celebrated on Saturday, March 12, 2022 at St. Philip‘s Episcopal Church. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. with service to follow at 11:00 a.m. and internment afterward in the church garden columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to St. Philip’s Church, 5400 Old Canton Road, Jackson, Mississippi 39211; Stewpot Community Services, 1100 W. Capitol Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39203; or The Diocese of Mississippi, Seeds You Sow, Campaign, P.O. Box 23107, Jackson, Mississippi 39225