Patricia Hemingway

Patricia Ward Hemingway, loving wife of John Alden Hemingway and daughter of the late Lacy Belton and Ruby Bennett Ward of Clarendon, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 after a two-year courageous battle with cancer.

Pat and her husband Alden met at Duke University in December 1957 and it was love at first sight. Alden proposed to her in April 1958 and they were married during a hurricane in September 1958 in the community of Bethel, North Carolina.

Pat was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and friend to all people who were blessed to have her in their lives. She was loved dearly and will be missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her husband of over 54 years, Alden, her children: Meg Bass(Lewis) of Durham, Missy Inglis (Tim) of Cary and John (Lindsay) of Apex, her six grandchildren of whom she was very proud: Lewis, Emily, Cameron, Bailey, Lacey and Blake, and her sister-in-law Diana Meyer (Charley) of Pinehurst and brother-in-law Ted Hemingway (Peg) of Wilson and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A memorial service for Pat will be held on Saturday, February 16th at 2PM at Trinity United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown, NC. Instead of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the Trinity UMC General Fund or The Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center, 206 Warrior Trail Road, Whiteville, NC 28472.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to all of her caregivers during her illness including the wonderful staff of the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Center and to her home caregivers: Dora, Sherida, and Crystal who knew her only a short time but loved and cared for her dearly. They also wish to express their gratitude for all the prayers and expressions of love and support throughout Pat's long illness from their church families in Elizabethtown and Durham, NC and their neighbors, friends, and loved ones.