Patricia Bishop left this world to “receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:11) on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. She was born January 15, 1948, to Howard Pearce and Betty Riley Pearce. She married Kenneth Bishop on June 21, 1970, and they were blessed with a son, Christopher Bishop (Andrea) of Orlando, FL, and a daughter, Kimberly Bishop of Brentwood, TN. She dearly loved her four granddaughters: Taylor Bishop, Hannah Bishop, Nora Bishop, and Lilly Bishop.
Pat taught school 1969 – 2005 at IAHS and ICC. She received degrees from Blue Mountain College (BMCU) and the University of Mississippi along with graduate hours in foreign language from Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi to prepare her to teach Spanish, French, and English at the college level. During her thirty-five years of teaching, she touched hundreds of lives and received numerous awards of recognition for what she referred to as her “calling,” not merely her job.
She was saved as a youngster at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, thus beginning a life of worshipping her Savior and serving her Lord. She served and supported Ken in the years he served as a bi-vocational pastor in three churches in Prentiss County: Pleasant Grove, East Pleasant Ridge, and East Prentiss. Short-term mission trips were a passion, making nine trips to Honduras and Nicaragua. She was a long-time member of First Baptist Church, Fulton, MS where she served as a Sunday School Teacher, VBS worker, choir member, and Women’s Ministry Director. She was passionate about Operation Christmas Child and made over 100 dresses for Christmas boxes this past year. Even though her failing health kept her homebound for many months, she would regularly sit at her sewing machine designing and making these dresses for little girls around the world. She served her community through projects at local schools; in her younger days she served through Pilot Club, even serving one term as Governor of Mississippi Pilot Clubs. She challenged us all with her “heart to serve.”
She was preceded in death by her parents and all her brothers and sisters: Martha Rogers, Howard Pearce Jr., James Pearce, Linda Harbin, and Paul Pearce. She is survived by a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A service celebrating Pat’s life will take place at 1 PM on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at the McNeece Morris Funeral Home Chapel in Fulton, MS, with visitation beginning at 11 AM. Burial will be in Itawamba Memorial Gardens. Her pastor, Bro. Scott Hunter will officiate the service.
The family wishes to thank friends, neighbors, and the FBC church family for their love and support through her sickness and death, along with a special thanks to nurse practitioner Claire Northington for her diligent care through the years – unwavering and compassionate. The many special nurses who cared for her through her illness will truly be blessed for their kindness.
In lieu of flowers, life-honoring contributions can be given to two of Pat’s favorite ministries: Operation Christmas Child through FBC, Fulton, 108 Pierce Town Road, Fulton, MS and the Hope Pregnancy Resource Center of Fulton, 604 East Main Street, Fulton, MS 38843, or a ministry of their own choosing.
