Pat Whitman— A Blessed Life

Pat Womack Whitman was given a surprise 80th birthday party recently at her church, Adgateville Baptist Church, and granddaughter Candice said if she’d had her address book there would have been more people invited. Mrs. Whitman says she doesn’t think the church would have held them all.

Pat Whitman enjoys life, and will tell you so in a hurry if you ask her any questions. And she has truly been blessed by God, she believes. “God blessed each step of the way.” And, Pat loves people. Pat saw a glimpse of heaven when she had a heart attack on May 25, 2001, and was actually a little disappointed with God at the time for not taking her there. But her work on earth was not done.

God had a purpose for her, she said, to hold the fort together for the others when storms came, as they did, and to enjoy her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her house has always had an open door, she said, first with her children then with the grands and great-grands. She talks of how grandson Jonathan Bell used to come hang out with her at all times of the day and night. Mr. Bell was killed in a tragic incident several years ago. She will always have a special place in her heart for him, just as she does for each of her loved ones.

Sometime after her heart attack, Mrs. Whitman started teasing others that she was going to outlive everybody, and she has, she said. She is the last surviving members of the elder Womack clan, and her husband, Johnny Whitman is the last surviving member of his family. Of course, the younger ones are still around, thank goodness, and Pat counts among her family some eight children (some of whom she inherited), 16 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. And whether she gave birth or not, Pat claims all of the offspring. They’re all hers, she said, “I have always counted all of them.”

As for Pat’s family, Roy had three children when she married him, Tommy, Belinda and Deborah. (They are all three deceased now.) She added Sidney and Tim to the mix. Now that she is married to Johnny, she got three more. And she loves them all. She tells me Sidney was born nine months and two days after she and Roy were married. She says people love to talk, but she didn’t give them any motive.

Pat is not originally from Monticello, but moved here when she married her first husband, Roy Womack, in 1959. She was attending Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) at the time, majoring in horticulture. She had dated another man from Monticello (she was from Sparta), and when they broke up Roy saw her photos and wanted to meet her. His twin brother, Coy and his wife, Ann, made that happen. Roy proposed to her in July, 1958, but she did not agree to marry him until October when he gave her a ring.

When they were courting, she would come to Monticello and spend the night with his sisters. Many years later, things hadn’t changed much. Johnny Whitman would drive from Dayton, Ohio to visit. They met in Monticello as he is the cousin of the late Grady Fuller. Grady and Shirley set the pair up, and the rest is history. Mr. Whitman also has a home in North Carolina, and Pat stayed with a neighbor across the street on their first visits there. They go back there periodically now, especially in the summer, as well as to his former home in Dayton. She does the driving, which she says she loves.

Actually Pat loves everything and everybody. She loves flowers, and used to help Marietta Moore in her flower shop. Now Pat still gets flowers and arranges bouquets for her family members. And she and Marietta remain good friends.

Church is an important part of Pat’s life, and currently she worships at Agateville Baptist Church with Rev. Jim Kennebrew as pastor. She tells how her first husband, Roy, got sick, and requested a visit from the pastor. At that time Charles Davis and Bobby Sauls, came to the hospital, and Roy was saved. Pat has always been a caregiver, and her effort was put to good use as her husband was an invalid for some time.

She was a founding member of Callie Fuller Baptist Tabernacle, and helped start the first Sunday school classes there. She also served a secretary and treasurer of the church. Pat says she enjoys giving more than receiving. (But there were those beautiful birthday flowers she was surprised with from her stepson and is thoroughly enjoying.)

She was also active athletically, playing on a women’s softball team many years of her adult life…until she was past 50. She said her team won all except one year. She was very active in the Jaycees, although at the time only men could belong. She helped Roy with whatever he was doing. She said she misses those dances she used to chaperone. Pat served as secretary of the Chamber of Commerce for 14 years, and was also a board member. She is a former member of the Garden Club.

She was named 1974 homemaker of the year by ABAC and was honored at homecoming festivities.

In spite of all she did for her family, Pat also worked outside the home most of her life. She started with Dixie Financial, form 1970-80, and worked for First Franklin Financial from 1984 to 1997, them moved to First Family Financial. She worked for Judy Yielding and State Farm Insurance for three years, worked at Dixie Financial for 10 years, then finished her career at Covington CitiGroup/CitiFinancial, from which she retired on March 31, 2000. She enjoys sports of all kinds, with the TV tuned to the Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta Falcons, in season, while Johnny watches Fox news.

Pat had a modest childhood—her bedridden grandmother taught her how to make biscuits in the fireplace. She said it was her job every day to start the fires in the fireplaces and wood stove, and she milked the cows and fed the hogs and chickens. Her dad was a florist in Silver Springs, Md. Before he retired. Her parents met on a blind date. Her mother was from Sparta, and her father from Augusta. He was working at the Conservation Corps camp when they met.

Fast forward to present day. Pat and Johnny have been married 20 years, after being set up on a blind date. She said they laugh a lot, and really enjoy each other. He likes staying in Georgia, and they both enjoy fishing. Now it’s mostly catch and release, but in the past when more family was living they would have big fish fries. They still travel a lot, and so they have no pets. Pat wants a teacup poodle, but Johnny says not now. She’s patient. She will have one, one day, she says.

Pat has a doll collection including holiday Barbie’s, Madame Alexander dolls, and others that catch her fancy. She has so many, Johnny had a room built just for her dolls. It’s full, she says, and there’s dolls all over the house.

For now she’ll enjoy her photography (another of her many talents), and most of all, her family and friends. She’s a joy to be around, giving God credit for the good times, and thanking him for her strength in the not-so-good times. Pat enjoys life, and says she has truly been blessed. She shares her blessings with those around her, always quick with a smile and a kind word. I believe she is a blessing.