Mrs. Joyce Lee Lewis Patton

Mrs. Joyce Lee Lewis Patton of Fayetteville passed away early Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center at 79 years old after a short illness.
Born Sept. 10, 1934, in Waynesboro, Miss., to Leo Guy Lewis and Lula Mae Giles Lewis, Joyce was the eldest of eight children.
After moving to North Carolina in 1954, after her niece Heather Burks’ mother died when Heather was 10, Joyce and Pat embraced her as their fourth child.
Joyce met her beloved Frederick Carl Patton on a blind date, and in 1956 they were married. Fred’s occupation as an officer in the United States Army led them to travel around the world while raising their three children before settling in Fayetteville  in 1961.
Having a large wooded area behind their newly built home, Joyce cultivated an extensive garden and nursery with Fred’s hand in carpentry. In addition to gardening, her other interests included her involvement in the Sandhills Orchid Society. Joyce was also a master bridge player and participated in the Fayetteville Bridge Center’s club for over 40 years. Joyce and Fred were loyal members of McPherson Presbyterian Church for over 40 years, where she sang in the choir for over 30 of those years.
Joyce leaves behind her loving husband,  Lt. Col. (retired) Frederick Carl Patton;  and her children, Lee Anne Patton Russell (son-in-law Peter Ciaccio), Michael Patton  and John Patton.  Joyce’s grandchildren include Erin and Shannon Russell, both of Pinehurst. Joyce is survived by her sisters and brothers, Jimmy Lewis of Shreveport, La., Leo Guy Lewis of Gallion, Ala., Judy Johnson of Atlanta, Ga., and Dottie Hayes of Fairhope, Ala.
She was preceded in death by her siblings Jackie Lewis, Sandra Kay Lewis and H. Diane Lewis Burks.
Her nieces and nephews in attendance are Tamara Burks Brewer, Sam Johnson, Robin Johnson Maier and great-nephews  Greyson Brewer and Andrew Maier.
Public viewing will be held at McPherson Presbyterian Church at 2  p.m. today, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013,  followed by the funeral in the sanctuary at 3  p.m. Burial will follow in the McPherson Presbyterian Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity in her honor.
Services entrusted to Sullivan’s Highland Funeral Service & Crematory.