Patricia Ann Traylor Ford passed away Sunday, July 30, 2017 at the age of 80. Pat was born in Fyffe, AL but spent her early years in Gadsden, AL. There, while at church, she met and then married her husband of 60 years, Alvis (Buddy) Ford.  Buddy was a Navy aviator, and together they spent multiple tours of duty in Pensacola, and such places as Maine, the Marshall Islands, and Hawaii, settling permanently in Pensacola when Al retired.

Pat dedicated much of her life to supporting her husband, raising her children and keeping a comfortable and welcoming home. By her example she tried to instill in her sons the values of hard work, personal responsibility, and generosity and supported them in their endeavors. She had an interest in food, which she passed to her sons. She and Al would take their sons, Steve and Phil, to special restaurants with interesting cuisines. She loved sweets, and liked making and sharing desserts.

Pat spent a lifetime in volunteerism. As a den mother, she encouraged both of her sons in Cub Scout activities, and then encouraged and supported their Boy Scout careers. She advocated for organ and tissue donation and donated her body to the USA Medical School. She spent much of her energy working in missions-oriented programs at First Baptist Church of Pensacola. Pat interpreted with the deaf ministry, taught Sunday school for the Vietnamese congregation, and served as a volunteer missionary both to Korea and to Japan.

Early in her Pensacola life, Pat met Ebbie Roberts who became her mentor and instilled in Pat a love for missions. Because of Ebbie, Pat spent nearly 25 years mentoring young women of all ages through the auspices of the Women's Missionary Union, conducted trips to work at Rachel Sims Baptist Mission in New Orleans, and contributed her artistic and writing talents to summer camps in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, and to national publications. Many of these young women remained her lifelong friends, and some have become the daughters that she never had. Many of her dearest adult friendships began through work in the WMU. And for 20 years, Pat blended social and religious activism as a counselor for Samaritan Hands at First Baptist Church.

To the chagrin of their less-connected SEC friends, Pat and Al spent way too much time as University of Alabama fans. During those fallow periods between Alabama sports activities, Pat and Al enjoyed traveling, both domestically and overseas, with friends and family. When home, they usually spent Friday nights with an unofficial dinner group (Bill and Louise Hardin, Jim and Evona Adcox, Earl and Joyce Berry, Jim and Camille Dunaway, T.A. and Eloise Shell, Jack and Betty Logsdon, Bill and Carole Thompson, James and Shirley Calloway, J.P. and Flo Minchew and Doris Jean Mowe). Heaven may even now find four of those couples reuniting around a 5 o'clock dinner special. On Saturdays, when beach traffic to Navarre wasn't tourist crazed, Pat and Al spent lunchtime eating with Pat's sister Amy and her husband Dave, followed by a game of hand-and-foot or dominoes.

Pat was preceded in death by her parents, Glover and Flora (Garrett) Traylor; husband, Al Ford; brothers, Wendell Traylor and Tony Traylor of Gadsden; son, Steve Ford of Dallas, and daughter-in-law, Marjorie Leet Ford of San Francisco.

She is survived by her son, Phillip L. Ford of San Francisco; her sister, Amelia (Traylor) Boggis of Navarre; several nieces and nephews; special grandchildren, Karis and Caleb Thompson of Pensacola; "adopted" daughters, Allison Chestnut of Hattiesburg and Sharon Thompson of Pensacola and very special friend, Sumner McLeod of Pensacola.

A Memorial service will be held Tuesday, August 15, 2017at 2:00 p.m. in Pleitz Chapel at First Baptist Church, with Dr. Barry Howard officiating. Visitation will occur after the memorial service.

The family couldn't manage Pat's favorite ice cream and coffee as refreshments, but they invite you to remain after the service for cookies and punch and a piece of See's candy, Pat's favorite chocolate in the whole wide world, brought specially from California.

As much as Pat loved flowers, she was allergic to just about anything perfumed. Those wishing to remember her are encouraged to support Samaritan Hands of First Baptist Church of Pensacola.