Patsy James Stinebaugh

Patsy Stinebaugh, 76, of Franklin, Wisconsin, passed away on December 12, 2023, after a short and unexpected illness. Her daughter was by her side. Born on May 31, 1947, in Pocahontas, Arkansas, Patsy was the youngest of two and, by all accounts, a “daddy’s girl.” Her parents, Remmel Harold, and Geraldine, were both teachers by day and farmers by night, though they would both go on to earn their undergraduate degrees, taking one college course at a time and finishing in the 1960s along with their daughters. Patsy first learned to drive by piloting the family tractor and she was often found helping her father care for cattle. In high school, Patsy played basketball, which kicked off a life-long love of the sport. After completing her bachelor's degree in accounting at Arkansas State University, where she was a member of the AOII sorority along with her older sister, Patsy worked briefly in Little Rock, Arkansas before taking a job as an internal auditor for Phillip Morris and moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As an auditor, she traveled extensively through the United States and Europe and travel remained a treasured pastime. As a single woman in the 1970s, Patsy joined the Vagabond Ski & Social Club, where she met lifelong friends. In addition to basketball, she was an active skier and tennis player. Patsy met and married Russell Stinebaugh in the late 1970s and together they had their daughter, Elizabeth. Patsy was also stepmother to Russ’s children from his first marriage, Brent Stinebaugh and Jill (nee Stinebaugh) Schilz. The family resided in Brookfield. After divorcing in 1992, Patsy returned to the south with her daughter and lived in Jonesborough, Tennessee, where both her sister, Sharon (Robert) King and mother, Geraldine, lived. After three years, Patsy and Elizabeth moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where Patsy would live for the next 25 years. Patsy and Elizabeth thrived in Knoxville. Even while working full-time, Patsy was still very active in Elizabeth’s academic life, attending every Friday night football game to cheer on the marching band. Though busy with work and her daughter, Patsy maintained an active social life, regularly playing bunco with her group of friends. After Elizabeth graduated from high school, Patsy encouraged her to attend college out-of-state and supported her emotionally – and financially – as Elizabeth completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Patsy then supported Elizabeth when she and a friend decided to move, with no job and no apartment, to Washington, DC. Over the nine years she lived there, Patsy regularly visited Elizabeth and supported her through internships, first jobs, and her decision to quit working and go to law school. In 2022, Patsy made the decision to move to Wisconsin to be near her daughter. She settled in Franklin, Wisconsin, where she quickly became an active member of the Franklin Seniors Walking Club, the Franklin Seniors Luncheon Club, the Franklin Noon Lions, and her condo’s homeowner’s association. She could often be found at a Silver Sneakers workout class, traveling with the Franklin Seniors to dinner and a show, or volunteering at the Faith Presbyterian food bank. • • Caring for others was at the center of Patsy’s life and, for a time, even her career as she spent her last working years at Second Harvest Food Bank in Knoxville. After retiring, Patsy would take over the food pantry at her church, Central Baptist Bearden, where she managed the pantry and delivery of emergency food boxes, including during the global COVID pandemic. Travel remained an important pastime for Patsy and together she and Elizabeth visited Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid, the Garden of the Gods in Colorado, a big cat sanctuary in Tampa, the French Quarter in New Orleans, Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, and a bald eagle preserve in Alaska. Together, the two also attended six NCAA women’s basketball championships (including watching her beloved Tennessee Lady Vols win the championship in 2007 and 2008), several SEC basketball championships, and countless college and WNBA games. In addition to her daughter, Patsy’s friends were incredibly important to her. She could often be found on daily walks with her friends in Knoxville or weekly walks with her new friends in Franklin. She was a proud member of the Joy Class at Central Baptist Bearden in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was always up for grabbing lunch, seeing a movie, taking in a live performance, or grabbing a margarita. Patsy is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Stinebaugh, her sister Sharon (Robert) King, and her beloved cat, Gray. She is also survived by her nephew, Jeff King, and his children Dylan, Lydia, and Theodore, numerous members of extended family, and countless friends in Tennessee and Wisconsin. She is preceded in death by her father and mother, Remmel Harold and Geraldine, and several four-legged companions. Patsy should be remembered for her willingness to just listen (particularly to Elizabeth’s rambling stories), her suffer-no-fools attitude, her love of cats and women’s basketball, her avid recycling, her ability to make friends with just about anyone, her unending support for her daughter, and her faith in Jesus. She was so loved and will be sorely missed. A Celebration of Life will be held at Ridgewood Church, 2720 Lilly Road, Brookfield, WI 53005 on Friday, December 22, 2023 at 1pm. The event will be LIVE STREAMED at https://www.ridgewoodchurch.org/. Light refreshments to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Second Harvest Food Bank in Knoxville, Tennessee. https://secondharvestetn.org/give/