Patricia Mckillip

Patricia Mae Odell McKillip of Danville, Virginia, passed away peacefully on December 18 at the age of 81. She was born on November 3, 1942, in Lancaster, Ohio, and raised in Good Hope, Ohio.

Her early education was in a small schoolhouse, Wayne School, in Good Hope that housed her classes from first grade through high school. After graduating from high school, she married and moved to Columbus, where she graduated from Columbus Business College. She spent the majority of her adult life in Grove City, Ohio, where she made a wonderful home for her family and friends while working in nearby Columbus. With the exception of a just a few years, she worked for over 45 years for three organizations that were fortunate to benefit from her faithful service: Borden Inc., Hamilton Dental and — for nearly three decades — First Community Church, where she served as the assistant business manager. After her retirement in 2008, she moved to Virginia to be closer to her daughter. She enjoyed living at Smith Mountain Lake and later in Danville at Brookdale Senior Living.

Patricia was preceded in death by her parents, Bernadine Foster and Morris Odell, and her stepfather, Kenneth Foster. She is survived by her only child, Tiffany McKillip Franks (Joe Franks); her brother, Alan Foster (Beth Foster); her niece, Christy Foster Lee; her nephew, Ryan Foster; and a number of beloved cousins.

Called “Patty” by all her family and “MamaPat” by Joe and Tiffany’s friends, she treasured time with her family and friends; rarely missed seeing the Buckeyes play football; was an avid baseball, Indy Car and NASCAR fan; loved traveling; and enjoyed doing ceramics, playing cards with friends and reading.

Patty was someone you wanted to have as your friend. Always loving, loyal and deeply caring, she always put others first. In spite of having more than a fair share of health challenges — through which she persevered and became a beacon of resilience, hope, optimism and courage for all who knew her — she constantly remained fun, positive, even adventurous. Her guiding principle was “Enjoy! No matter what you do or how tough things are, find a way to enjoy … take it one day at a time and enjoy every day and every single thing you do.” And she did just that.

Her family sends very special thanks to the many nurses and other healthcare professionals who cared for her through the years, but especially in the more recent years. She was like a magnet for many of her “angels,” who often said “Pat” was their favorite.

Townes Funeral Home is handling arrangements. The family will receive friends at their home, 500 Hawthorne Drive, Danville, VA 24541 Friday, December 22 from 4 – 6 p.m., and a celebration of life will be held at First Community Church in the Burkhart Chapel, 1320 Cambridge Blvd, Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, February 24 at 11 a.m., with interment following at Good Hope Cemetery, Fayette County, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in her memory to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116-7023, or the Dr. Tiffany McKillip Franks Endowed Scholarship at Averett University, 420 West Main St., Danville, VA 24541.

Please sign the online guestbook on the Memory Wall at www.townesfuneralhome.com The McKillip family has entrusted arrangements to Townes Funeral Home and Crematory, 215 West Main St., Danville, VA, 434-793-1211.