Patricia Herrell Lee

Patricia Lynn Herrell Lee was born on August 24, 1931, at Herrell Hill, the family homeplace just north of Villa Rica, Georgia. Her parents were Frank Cummings Herrell, originally of Perry, New York and Audrey Naomi Willoughby Herrell of Villa Rica. Patricia was one of eight children raised by the Herrells, although another daughter, Olivia died in infancy in 1927.

Patricia graduated as an honor student from Villa Rica High School in 1948, just as her mother had in 1918. Holding the office of Reporter, Patricia remained active in class gatherings and informal reunions well into her eighties. A chance meeting brought her to the attention of her future husband in 1948. Arriving in Villa Rica for a weekend visit with her family from her work with an insurance company in Atlanta, she caught the eye of a young cadet from North Georgia College, who happened to be helping his father who ran the bus station in Villa Rica. Young Fred Lee served as a taxi driver to shuttle awaiting passengers from the bus to their homes in the Villa Rica area. The two were married August 7, 1949.

Traveling frequently in pursuit of various employment opportunities, the young couple added a son in 1950 and a daughter in 1953 and they lived, among other places, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Phoenix, Arizona, and Concord, California, before returning to Villa Rica in 1958.

Patricia in her Villa Rica years worked variously in the family businesses, “The Hideaway” and later in Lee’s 5 & 10, as well as The Arrow Shirt Company, The Davis and Hannan Dental Clinic and Kay’s Dress Shop. She became an expert hybridizer of daylilies as well as a noted quilter. She was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church.

Survivors include her son, Cary Theodore “Teddy” Lee of Villa Rica, Georgia, daughter and son-in-law Sheila and Dennis Hall of Villa Rica, Georgia; sister Dixie Tackett of Carrollton, Georgia; five grandchildren, Casey, Donovan, Chazz, Craig and Eric; three great-grandchildren, Grace, Ellery, and Leah; several nieces and nephews also survive.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, June 1, 2023, at Jones-Wynn Funeral Home Villa Rica Chapel, from 12:30 PM until 2:00 PM. Funeral Services will follow the visitation at 2:00 PM from Jones-Wynn Funeral Home Villa Rica Chapel. Interment will be at Hillcrest City Cemetery in Villa Rica.