Patrick Vickery

Mr. Patrick Nelson (Pat) Vickery passed away on Saturday, November 30, 2019, in Tyler at the age of 88. He was born on June 4, 1931, in Dallas to the late Marion Mabry Vickery and Effie Maude Patrick Vickery. Pat was a retired Baptist minister and longtime member of First Baptist Church in Mineola. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Baylor University in 1952 and his Masters in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1954. He served the Lord in several capacities as a Minister of Music, Youth Minister, Minister of Education, and Church Administrator. Pat served at a number of churches during his career including FBC Grand Saline, Richardson Heights Baptist, Park Cities Baptist Dallas, FBC Marshall, FBC Texarkana, Tallowood Baptist Houston, Wilcrest Baptist Houston, FBC Tyler, FBC Haynesville and Harvest Acres Baptist Mineola. Pat was a featured trainer/teacher at Glorietta Baptist Assembly and Ridgecrest Baptist Assembly. He also served as the Inaugural Director of Trinity Pines Baptist Conference Center and as Administrator at Timberline Baptist Encampment near Lindale. Pat was innovative, decisive, resourceful, encouraging, effective, and successful in his ministries. Although he was quite content spiritually, he was rarely satisfied as he strove to do his best constantly. He had a gift for envisioning and supervising large capital construction projects and had a unique way of sharing them with enthusiasm to anyone who would listen. In retirement Pat enjoyed woodworking and gardening, and he shared his vegetables with everyone in town. Pat was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Mary Vickery Holcomb and her husband, Harold; his brother, Paul Ray Vickery and his wife, Mary Frances; and in 2018 by his loving wife of more than 66 years, Sue Gilpin Vickery. Pat is survived by his daughter Patti Vickery Randolf and her husband Jim of McKinney; sons Alan Ray Vickery and his wife, Susie, of Argyle and Ronnie Vickery and his wife, Shari of Tyler; grandchildren, Justin Randolf and wife, Ashley, Lauren Little and husband, Mark, Julia Vickery, Patrick Vickery, Jack Vickery, Will Vickery, and Smith Vickery; and great granddaughter Harper Grace Randolf. Following a private family graveside service, a memorial service celebrating Pat's life will be held on Friday at 3:00 p.m., December 6, 2019, at First Baptist Church Mineola, 204 N. Johnson Street, Mineola, Texas 75773. The service will be officiated by Dr. Hollie Atkinson. Justin Randolf, Lauren Little, Julia Vickery, Patrick Vickery, Jack Vickery, Will Vickery and Smith Vickery will serve as pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mission Dignity (missiondignity.org / 877-888-9409), a non-profit ministry established to provide financial assistance to retired Baptist ministers and spouses or to The Hospice of East Texas in Tyler.