Patricia Inez Pitre

On the evening of March 26, 2020, Patricia Inez Pitre of Lake Charles, LA, passed away at the age of 88.

Born September 24, 1931 in Port Arthur, TX, she grew up one of five sisters. She met her husband George while he was living in a boarding house next door to her. She caught his eye one day while she was painting her house. George courted her and they married on January 19, 1952. Together they lived in Port Arthur, raising a son and daughter. As the children grew up, she worked as a bank officer at Merchants Bank and Sabine Bank. The family later moved to a home on Imhoff Ave which they all helped build.

In retirement, Patricia and George both loved to travel, visiting much of the country and Europe, especially her father's homeland Greece. They also loved getting together with family. They often went to casinos with Patricia’s sisters. The family also went camping at Lake Sam Rayburn. After George’s death from ALS in 1993, Patricia lived on her own for 26 years. She later moved to a new house on Lake Arthur Drive next door to her good friend, Georgia Sandoval. Even after her house was flooded during Hurricane Harvey, she was determined to move back into the home she loved and stay independent. It was only recently that a sudden illness in November forced her to relocate to a retirement community in Lake Charles closer to her daughter.

Family was always very important to Patricia. She loved entertaining at Christmas and other holidays. She loved to cook for family and friends. People especially enjoyed her spaghetti and gumbo. She would travel any distance to spend time with family, making trips as far away as Germany, Italy and California. She loved spending vacations with her children and their families including several trips to Schlitterbahn, Destin, FL, and Colorado where she learned to downhill ski at the age of 65.

Patricia was a lifelong devoted Catholic and longtime member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Port Arthur. She taught religious education for many years while her children were growing up. She planned and participated in many activities and fundraisers for the church. Patricia also volunteered for 20 years working at the United Board of Missions resale shop the Missions Attic and later served on the board.

Patricia is preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Catherine Papas, husband George Pitre, and sisters Lucille Thibodeaux (Houston), Thelma Parker (R.A.), Stella Proctor (Charles), and Lois Wilson (Tommy).

She is survived by her son Randy Pitre (Becky) of Sachse, TX; daughter Marie Youngblood (Ken) of Lake Charles; seven grandchildren, Jessica Di Napoli (Edoardo) of Aachen, Germany, Alyssa Gonzaga (Chris) of Fort Worth, TX, Nicholas Pitre (Lisa) of Sacramento, CA, Karen Thurmond (Ty) of Cypress, TX, Sarah Pitre of Sachse, TX, Allison Pitre of Kansas City, MO, and Colleen Pitre of Kansas City, MO; and five great-grandchildren, Ava Gonzaga, Audrey Gonzaga, Peyton Thurmond, Grayson Di Napoli, and Penny Thurmond.

Patricia’s family wishes to express heartfelt appreciation to her caregivers at Heart of Hospice, The Verandah, The Lodge at Lake Charles Care Center, and Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for their love and compassion and excellence in care.

The family will have a private service at a later date.