Patricia Osteen Stepp's Obituary
Patricia Osteen Stepp-Pat to her friends-was a devoted mother to five children, steadfast friend to a close posse of fellow quilters and her Girl Gang, and stranger to none, once famously rolling down the car window to talk to a motorcycle gang. Though she led a rich life, never was there a person more ready to see Jesus, and so Pat went tranquilly to her homeplace on May 13, 2021.
Born May 7, 1934, in Flat Rock, N.C., to Massena and Edith Jones Osteen, Pat experienced a childhood defined by the outdoors. Her favorite moments were playing outside with her sister and two brothers. Of course, her childhood wasn't all sunshine and roses; Pat often told her children how she had to walk two miles to school in the frigid Blue Ridge mountain air. Nonetheless, Pat's love for what she called "my mountains" was abiding.
Pat was courted by one Rudolph Conraid Stepp, who ultimately won her heart with cheeseburgers and milkshakes, and the two wed in 1952, wasting no time in starting a family. Pat often said being a mother was who she was. Though that was her true calling, she was also a gardener who could make even the most pitiful of plants flourish. She sewed her whole life, beginning back in home ec class, and turning that education into a vocation then a calling. Not only did Pat make her daughters' beautiful everyday and wedding dresses, but for 13 years she sewed dresses for children in impoverished countries.
Later in life, Pat obtained her realtor license and had a rewarding career. From the time she became a Christian as an adult, church was important to her, and Pat was a fixture there. Pat taught Sunday school, led Acteens, directed VBS, coordinated the library, and headed the JOY club.
Pat is survived by a family who loved her beyond measure: her five children Debbie (Scott) Lesley of Salisbury, N.C.; Susan (Mike) Carter of New London, N.C.; Connie (Norman) Williams of New London, N.C.; Gary (Rebekah) Stepp of Mt. Gilead, N.C.; Melanie (Patrick) Coughlin of Concord, N.C.; her 11 grandchildren Melissa Boltz, Kristen Hinceman, Amanda Collins, Shannon Moore, Shane Carter, Benjamin Williams, Daniel Williams, Joseph Williams, Hilton Stepp, Garin Stepp, and Bella Coughlin; 12 great-grandchildren; three siblings Shirley Cable of Hendersonville, N.C.; Norman (Joyce) Osteen of Hendersonville, N.C.; David (Jean) Osteen of Horse Shoe, N.C.
Her life will be celebrated at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 23, at Highland Baptist Church in New London. Visitation will be in the Family Life Center following the service.
According to her wishes, Pat's body has been donated to research at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Medicine. Ever a fan of flowers thriving in the ground, Pat suggested that, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
Butterfly House Children's Advocacy Center
923 N. 2nd St. #101
Albemarle, NC 28001
Community Homecare and Hospice of Troy
1024 Albemarle Rd., Suite 904
Troy, NC 27371
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
401 Hackensack Ave.
Hackensack, N.J. 07601
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