Patricia Ann Steen Bray passed from this life on July 15, 2021, at her home in Madison, Alabama.
After graduating from Lauderdale County High School, she received her Bachelor of Science degree from Bethel College (now Bethel University). After graduation, she taught English in St. Louis, Missouri.
She then earned her Master’s in English from Saint Louis University. After teaching English in high school and in college, she obtained her PhD ABD in English from St. Louis University while she taught there. She then taught English at the University of Texas, Pan America University, University of Florida, and four years of senior high school English in Hawaii.
Patricia’s mission in life was to instill the value of education not only through formal education, but also through reading and travelling.
She read voraciously, and she and her husband travelled extensively at home and abroad.
She enjoyed entertaining and housing international college students at her homes in Texas, Florida and Madison, Alabama.
She maintained a close relationship throughout her lifetime with her best friends from Bethel College, Peggy Malone Phelps from Nashville, Tennessee, and Betty Donahue from Oklahoma.
She was the daughter of the late William Steen and Tavie Ezell Steen. She was also preceded in death by her husband, William Bray, and brother, Jerry Steen.
She is survived by a brother, Robert Sherell Steen (Connie) of Florence; sister, Myra Jean Steen Gray (Dwight) of Rogersville; stepson, David Bray of Illinois; sister-in-law, Charlotte Steen of Anderson, Alabama; six nieces and nephews; and 10 great-nieces and nephews.
A private family memorial will be held at a later date. Williams Funeral Home is assisting the family. Condolences may be left at wfunerals.com
