Patricia Lewark Lenthall, 71, of Knotts Island, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at home on April 19th, surrounded by family, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Patricia was born on December 14, 1953, in Norfolk, to Ralph and Della Lewark. She was the fourth of their six children and spent her childhood on Knotts Island, where she put down deep roots and cultivated lifelong friendships and community.
In 1974, Patricia met the love of her life, Mike Lenthall while working at Ocean Electric. The two shared a dedicated and unwavering partnership for nearly five decades, recently celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary this past December.
In 1979, she and Mike returned to Knotts Island to build a home on her family’s land. There, she embraced her most cherished role: mother to Paul, Ellis, Sara, and Sam. Just as Patricia had experienced growing up, her children were raised surrounded by a close-knit extended family—grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts and uncles, and cousins— putting down their own roots in this special place she called home.
For her children, Patricia was their fiercest advocate and proudest supporter – always encouraging them to work toward their goals, and she was deeply proud of the lives each of them built for themselves.
Professionally, Pat dedicated her career to bookkeeping and accounting, where her talent, diligence, and warmth earned her the respect as well as the friendship of colleagues and clients.
A lifelong member of Knotts Island United Methodist Church, Patricia was a devoted lay leader, choir member, and Sunday School teacher. Her inherent kindness, spiritual insight, and beautiful singing voice enriched the lives of everyone who worshiped with her.
In recent years, Patricia’s greatest joy became her four granddaughters. Whether decorating cookies for birthday parties, spending time with them in the garden, chasing chickens in the backyard, or cheering from the sidelines of a soccer game, she relished every moment with Reagan, Makenzie, Elizabeth, and Rilyn.
Despite battling stage four cancer for over two years, Patricia remained the most positive person in the room at any time. Her gratitude to her devoted husband, attentive children and grandchildren as well as her ever-supportive siblings and in-laws was evident to anyone who visited or called on her.
No matter her physical situation, she remained joyfully focused on her life’s most constant truth: that an eternity alongside Jesus was her fate, and that it would be more glorious than any of us could imagine. To that end, she crossed the threshold to heaven just moments before Easter Sunday, where there could not have been a more beautiful celebration.
Patricia was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Della Lewark, and her brother, Fred James.
She is survived by her loving husband, Mike Lenthall; her siblings Wayne Lewark (Rosie), Faye Freeman (Gary), Martha Burns (Robert), and Tommy Lewark (Cynthia); her children Paul Lenthall (Lisa), Ellis Lenthall (Amy), Sara Greene (Bryan), and Samuel Lenthall (Marissa); and her treasured granddaughters Reagan Lenthall, Mackenzie Lenthall, Elizabeth Greene, and Rilyn Lenthall.
A celebration of Patricia’s life will be held at Knotts Island United Methodist Church on Tuesday, May 6th at 11:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Knotts Island United Methodist Church or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
