Pat Reggets, and her mother

Pat is a familiar figure around Jefferson Baptist.  And she  currently radiates with the announcement of the birth of her 4th great grandchild, Kade, a whopping 23 inches long!
Don and Pat will have reached their 50th wedding anniversary this year, on November 24th.  They will be taking a trip to Hawaii to celebrate!  So far they have been to 48 states, and after this there is only Alaska left.
We at JBC are encouraged and blessed by their example, not just of a faithful marriage, but also of a life of service.  Pat is in charge of our needs committee, arranging for all the potlucks, funeral dinners and other uses of the church kitchen.  She participates in women's prayer group, ladies' circle, and Sunday school to name a few activities.  She helps take care of an older sister who lives nearby.

Pat was born on Brown's Run, about 1/4 mile from where she lives now.  They live in Don's parents former home.  They began dating as seniors in high school, and got married when she was 17 and he was 18.  Don is an antique car enthusiast, and is retired from working for Chrysler.  They lived in Ohio for 34 years before moving back to Greene County in 1998.  Pat taught Sunday School and led youth activities out there.  They had 4 kids and 9 grandchildren.  Most of them live in Ohio and some in SC.

A quote from Pat: "My life has always been good."  She testifies to guidance and direction from her mother, Hazel Broadwater, who was a pillar of the church when John and I arrived in 1982.

When I took this photo the other night, Pat had with her another baby quilt for some mission or other - I can't keep up.  Every new baby in our church gets one, and so do lots of other folks.  Pat hand stitches a lot of each quilt.  I saw the perfect, tiny stitches myself.  One of our beds has a quilt on it made for us by Pat's mom, Hazel.  You see where she gets it.  The two of them are great bakers also, Hazel being known for her rolls and Pat for her filled cupcakes, among other things.  Ask my husband about those cupcakes!

Hazel and Henry had around about 13 children, of which Pat is the baby, and many still live around here.  Here's a quote Pat gave me from Hazel about marriage: "The first 20 years are the hardest."  Isn't that the kind of long term vision we could all benefit from.